Napoli miss out on Serie A summit with goalless draw at Venezia
With league leaders Inter Milan preparing for a crucial match against Atalanta, Napoli failed to capitalise on the opportunity to move to the top of the table.
Napoli's bid to top Serie A was thwarted on Sunday after they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Venezia at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium.
With league leaders Inter Milan preparing for a crucial match against Atalanta, Napoli failed to capitalise on the opportunity to move to the top of the table.
Antonio Conte's side, level on 61 points with reigning champions Inter, were left frustrated after a series of missed chances in a largely unremarkable performance. Despite dominating possession, Napoli's inability to finish meant they couldn't secure the win.
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The visitors' early threat came in the fifth minute when Giacomo Raspadori's shot struck the post. Scott McTominay, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and Romelu Lukaku also had efforts saved by Venezia's goalkeeper Ionut Radu. Napoli's late substitute Giovanni Simeone had the chance to snatch all three points in stoppage time, but blasted over from close range after a precise cross from Noah Okafor.
Those missed opportunities extended Napoli's winless run to five draws from their last seven Serie A matches, seriously hindering their hopes of a second league title in three seasons.
Conte remained positive despite the result, stating to DAZN: "I don't think they caused us any problems. There was one team on the pitch that was in charge of the game, and that was us. We created many chances, but when you do that, you have to score. Most of their opportunities came from our own mistakes."
Venezia, who remain in the relegation zone, were lucky to avoid defeat. They came close to scoring just before the break when Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret rushed off his line to deny Kike Perez, only for Amir Rrahmani to clear Daniel Fila's follow-up off the line.
Napoli's draw opens the door for Atalanta, who now have a chance to draw level with the top two in the tightly contested race for the Scudetto. Atalanta sit three points behind the leaders and will be hoping to secure their first home win in Serie A since before Christmas, while also chasing their first-ever league title.
Later in the day, Juventus will face Fiorentina in a fiery Florence derby, with the pressure mounting on Fiorentina manager Thiago Motta after a disappointing season. Juventus, currently in fourth, will remain in the Champions League positions with a win, as they face familiar faces in Moise Kean and Nicolo Fagioli.
