Today in Serie A – February 11, 1990: Milan Beat Napoli with Three Headers | OneFootball

Never a dull day when Milan and Napoli faced each other in Serie A towards the end of the 1980s. Even those who were not born yet have heard the stories: Marco Van Basten versus Diego Maradona, Milan and their Dutch stars versus Napoli and their South American outliers, the rich North of Italy against the struggling South…

The battle between the Rossoneri and the Partenopei was the absolute clash for supremacy in the Italian league from 1987 to 1990 and, when things were taken to the pitch, the show was almost invariably a memorable one, featuring goals and strikes of genius.

Today’s trip down memory lane is dedicated to the February 11, 1990, matchup at the San Siro as Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan dismantled Napoli 3-0 with three headers from Daniele Massaro, Paolo Maldini, and Van Basten.

It was a key game along the path to the Scudetto as, before kick-off, Napoli sat top of the table with 36 points and Milan trailed by two. In an age when two points were awarded per victory, a win for Milan would have meant for the Rossoneri to reach the first place. Conversely, if Napoli won, they would have extended their lead to +4 points.

The Rossoneri had lost 0-3 in the reverse fixture at the San Paolo back in October 1998 with a heavily depleted squad. They paid the Partenopei back in the same coin as their new striker Massaro, who was just back from a one-year loan at Roma, opened the scoring early in the second half. Maldini doubled Milan’s lead tallying his only goal of the season, then Van Basten put the icicle on the cake with just four minutes to go.

However, it was Napoli to have the last laugh. The Partenopei won the 1989/90 Scudetto at the end of a thrilling head-to-head, featuring some controversial episodes like “Alemao’s coin” and “Milan’s Second Fatal Verona”.