Napoli edge Catanzaro 2-1, Lucca scores his first | OneFootball

Friendly matches also serve to propose new tactical solutions. And, given the various absences in midfield, Conte tries a very offensive team with De Bruyne and Raspadori, who double up as midfielders and forwards, and the two wingers pushing forward. An experiment that provides guarantees…

Napoli, the second time's a charm. 2-1 against Catanzaro, first joy for Lucca

Napoli continued their summer preparation in Dimaro Folgarida with a friendly victory against Catanzaro, ending with a score of 2-1. The Azzurri took the lead from the early minutes thanks to goals from Jack Raspadori and Lucca, who found the net in the 5th and 7th minutes, respectively. Raspadori opened the scoring with a tap-in assisted by Neres, while Lucca converted a penalty awarded after a foul by goalkeeper Pigliacellu.

Napoli showed great progress, particularly on the wings, with Neres and Lang creating numerous chances. However, after an explosive start, the team slowed down the pace, ending the first half with a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, coach Conte made a series of changes, presenting a completely renewed lineup. The new formation, with Contini in goal and an attack composed of Zanoli, Lukaku, and Zerbin, saw Catanzaro narrow the gap with a goal from Iemmello in the 48th minute. A goal by Lukaku, disallowed for a previous foul, marked a phase of the second half where Napoli struggled to impose their game.

Conte's team faced Catanzaro, a Serie B club led by Alberto Aquilani, in what was the second and last friendly of the summer preparation phase in Trentino, after the match lost against Arezzo, led by former Azzurri player Bucchi. The Azzurri showed an offensive setup, with De Bruyne on the field delighting with his brilliant touches and several notable absences, including McTominay, Gilmour, Politano, Simeone, Anguissa.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.