MILAN—Napoli leveraged its recent match against Fiorentina to make significant headway in the Serie A standings with a hard-earned 2-1 win on Sunday. Romelu Lukaku played a crucial role, scoring once and assisting another goal for Giacomo Raspadori, helping close the gap to just one point behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan. Inter, who made a spectacular comeback from a two-goal deficit to triumph 3-2 over Monza on Saturday, remains at the top of the table.
Elsewhere, Atalanta and Juventus are set to clash in Turin, both teams striving to maintain their championship aspirations. Atalanta currently trails Inter by six points, while Juventus lags a further three points behind. Fiorentina, on the other hand, saw its chances for a top-four finish weaken considerably with its fourth defeat in five league encounters.
Napoli’s recent performances had been underwhelming, managing only four draws and one loss from their prior five matches. However, they found their stride against Fiorentina. The breakthrough came in the 26th minute, thanks to Scott McTominay’s skillful play. Cutting in from the left, McTominay’s shot was redirected by Fiorentina’s former goalkeeper, David de Gea, leading to a tap-in for Lukaku.
Napoli nearly extended the lead when Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s shot struck the crossbar. Despite several commendable saves by De Gea that kept Fiorentina in contention, Napoli eventually increased their advantage at the hour mark. Lukaku’s precise through ball allowed Raspadori to coolly slot the ball into the bottom right corner.
Fiorentina did fight back, narrowing the margin six minutes later. Moise Kean’s skillful backheel fed Albert Guðmundsson, who finished with a low drive into the near post.
Meanwhile, Bologna continued their impressive run with a narrow 2-1 victory over Hellas Verona, even as Verona played with ten men. This marked Bologna’s third consecutive win, boasting an unbeaten run in 2025, losing just once in eleven games. Jens Odgaard opened the scoring just before halftime, while Nicolò Cambiaghi capitalized on a mistake by Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò, doubling the tally in the 78th minute.
Verona’s defense weakened further when Nicolás Valentini saw red after receiving a second yellow card. Nonetheless, they managed to pull one goal back thanks to Daniel Mosquera ten minutes from time. Despite the defeat, Verona remains four points clear of the relegation zone.
