Napoli v Juventus Live Commentary & Result, 26/1/20, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	JUV Juventus	38	26	5	7	76	43	+33	83	L L W L W
2	INT Internazionale	38	24	10	4	81	36	+45	82	W W W D D
3	ATA Atalanta	38	23	9	6	98	48	+50	78	L W D W D
4	LAZ Lazio	38	24	6	8	79	42	+37	78	L W W W L
5	ROM Roma	38	21	7	10	77	51	+26	70	W W W W D
6	MIL Milan	38	19	9	10	63	46	+17	66	W W D W W
7	NAP Napoli	38	18	8	12	61	50	+11	62	W L W L W
8	SAS Sassuolo	38	14	9	15	69	63	+6	51	L W L L D
9	VER Hellas Verona	38	12	13	13	47	51	-4	49	L W L D D
10	FIO Fiorentina	38	12	13	13	51	48	+3	49	W W L D W
11	PAR Parma	38	14	7	17	56	57	-1	49	W L W W L
12	BOL Bologna	38	12	11	15	52	65	-13	47	D L W L L
13	UDI Udinese	38	12	9	17	37	51	-14	45	W L W W L
14	CAG Cagliari	38	11	12	15	52	56	-4	45	L W L L D
15	SAM Sampdoria	38	12	6	20	48	65	-17	42	D L L L W
16	TOR Torino	38	11	7	20	46	68	-22	40	D L D D L
17	GEN Genoa	38	10	9	19	47	73	-26	39	W L L W W
18	LEC Lecce	38	9	8	21	52	85	-33	35	L W L W L
19	BRE Brescia	38	6	7	25	35	79	-44	25	D L L L W
20	SPA SPAL	38	5	5	28	27	77	-50	20	L L D L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

Juventus miss the chance to go six points clear at the top of Serie A but do still have a three-point advantage over Inter in second. Sarri will be hoping his team can bounce back quickly with a win against Fiorentina next time out. Napoli end a four-match losing run at home with this win and move up to 10th. Next up for them is a trip to Sampdoria.

Two second-half goals earn Napoli a 2-1 win over Juventus. Insigne saw his long-range shot saved by Szczesny, but he could only parry the ball to Zielinski who turned in the rebound at the near post. Insigne did get Napoli's second in the 86th minute when he volleyed Callejon's cross past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Ronaldo did pull one back from close range in the 90th minute, but Juventus couldn't find the equaliser they needed in stoppage time.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: NAPOLI 2-1 JUVENTUS.

90' + 4' GREAT CHANCE! Higuain rises highest in the box to get on the end of Cuadrado's cross from the right. He gets a lot of power behind the header, but it's straight at Meret and there's a loud cheer from the home fans as they know that save has won them the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Yellow Card

90' + 3' Ronaldo caught Manolas with his elbow when they both jumped to get on the ball and his reaction to a free-kick being awarded earns him a yellow card.

90' + 2' Ronaldo has now scored in eight consecutive matches for the fourth time since his debut in the top five European Leagues (2003-04), becoming the first player to reach this milestone in this period.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Goal

90' JUVENTUS HAVE ONE BACK! Ronaldo gets on the end of Bentancur's throughball in the box and he somehow manages to squeeze his shot past Meret at the near post and put the ball into the bottom-right corner. 2-1!

R. Bentancur

Assist

90' It's a great throughball to pick out Ronaldo's run down the edge of the box to set up the goal for Juventus.

Fernando Llorente

A. Milik

90' Gattuso makes his final change of the game now, bringing on Llorente in place of Milik.

88' Juventus look like they can't believe what's just happened. They slowly make their way back to the centre circle and they're slowly trying to make their way upfield.

L. Insigne

Goal

86' NAPOLI DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! It looks like the chance is gone when no one gets on the end of Milik's cross, but Callejon keeps it alive. Insigne is in a lot of space in the middle of the box and hits the shot on the volley. It hits the back of the net and he runs off down the track in celebration. 2-0 Napoli!

José Callejón

Assist

86' Callejon brings the ball under control with a great first touch and curls his cross back into the middle at the perfect height for Insigne to hit his shot on the volley.

M. de Ligt

Yellow Card

85' Insigne turns past Cuadrado and Bentancur, but De Ligt pulls him back to stop the run and he's shown a yellow card.

83' Alex Sandro whips another good cross into the box from the left and it looks like an easy one for Rui to deal with. His first touch is poor though and Meret has to come off his line quickly to stop Higuain from getting to the ball.

E. Elmas

P. Zieliński

81' The goalscorer for Napoli, Zielinski, is coming off now, with Elmas coming onto the pitch.

F. Bernardeschi

Yellow Card

81' Bernardeschi feels that he should've had a throw-in and throws the ball away. He's booked for dissent.

80' Bernardeschi is trying to make something happen for Juventus down the left but he just can't find a way past Hysaj. He tries to lay the ball off to Bentancur, but the defender is there to block it.

78' It's a great cross into the box from Bernardeschi on a corner and Bentancur rises highest to meet it. He can't direct his header on target though and nobody is at the far post to turn in the follow-up.

E. Hysaj

Yellow Card

76' Hysaj catches Bentancur with a late tackle and has his name taken by the referee.

74' Bernardeschi's first involvement is to take a free-kick on the left and he whips his cross into the box. It's a deep one from him and Milik flicks it on at the far post to put it out for a corner.

F. Bernardeschi

P. Dybala

72' Bernardeschi also comes on, with Dybala making way.

Douglas Costa

B. Matuidi

72' There's a double change for Juventus as Sarri tries to find a way back into this game. Matuidi is the first to make way as Costa comes on.

71' The Napoli players are asking for a penalty after the ball struck Cuadrado on the arm in the box. It bounced up off De Ligt from close range though and the referee waves the claim away.

A. Rabiot

Yellow Card

70' Rabiot gets nowhere near the ball as he comes across to try and nick it from Lobotka and is booked.

S. Lobotka

D. Demme

69' Gattuso makes his first change of the game now and it's Demme that's making way for Lobotka.

68' GOOD CHANCE! Dybala stands over the free-kick on the left and Ronaldo flicks it on in the middle of the box. There's a bit of a scramble as Higuain tries to get on the end of it, but Meret is quickly off his line to hold onto it.

67' Alex Sandro does really well to get away from Rui on the left and whips a great cross into the box from the byline. Ronaldo gets to it in the middle, but he can't direct his header on target.

65' Napoli look confident in possession and are playing out from the back despite being closed down high up the field. Demme does play a loose pass into Cuadrado and then fouls him in an attempt to win it back.

P. Zieliński

Goal

63' NAPOLI TAKE THE LEAD! Juventus just sit back and allow Insigne to run at them and his shot from outside the area is well saved by Szczesny. He pushes the ball straight to Zielinski on the edge of the six-yard box and the midfielder turns in the rebound to break the deadlock. 1-0 Napoli!

62' GOOD CHANCE! Juventus break quickly on the counter-attack and Ronaldo picks out Higuain's run with a good throughball. He cuts back inside to get away from Hysaj but drills his low shot straight at Meret.

R. Bentancur

Yellow Card

61' Bentancur picks up a yellow card for a late challenge on Zielinski.

59' Napoli have all their players sitting deep in their own half again as Juventus try to play out from the back. The fans are showing their frustration in the stands as the home side are struggling to get a touch on the ball.

57' Di Lorenzo's first touch is loose and he gifts the ball to Higuain just outside the box. The Argentine turns to run towards goal but Di Lorenzo recovers well to get across and nick it back off him.

55' Juventus are starting to pass the ball around a lot quicker than before as Alex Sandro plays in Matuidi on the left of the box. He tries to square it into the middle where Higuain is waiting, but Di Lorenzo makes a good block.

53' GOAL DISALLOWED! Higuain squares the ball to Dybala at the near post and his shot beats Meret and bounces back off the near post. Ronaldo gets on the rebound and he does find the back of the net, but the flag has gone up as Higuain was offside in the build-up.

52' Milik squares the ball to Insigne on the edge of the box and he chooses to go for the first-time shot. It's not a good strike from him anyway, but a deflection from Cuadrado helps it straight to Szczesny.

A. Rabiot

M. Pjanić

50' Pjanic goes straight down the tunnel after going off and Rabiot is on in his place.

49' Pjanic has gone down off the ball and he's holding the ankle that was caught in the first half. The medical team have come onto the field, but he's already signalled to the bench that he can't carry on and Juventus are getting ready to make a change.

48' Juventus have a free-kick in a good position on the right and it's Pjanic that swings the cross into the box. He can't beat the first man though and Manolas is able to head it clear.

46' Napoli get us back underway for the second half!

Gattuso will be pleased with how many chances his side have created so far, but he will want them to be more clinical in the second half if they want to get something out of this game. Juventus are likely to be much better after the break and if they can get their front three involved in the match more, they could cause Napoli's defenders some real problems.

It's goalless at the break between Napoli and Juventus. The home side created the better chances in the first half, but only tested Szczesny once when Callejon headed his effort down into the ground and straight at the Juventus goalkeeper. The best chance fell to Rui, but his curling effort was just too high. At the other end, Juventus didn't manage a single shot on target in the first half.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 0-0 JUVENTUS.

45' It's patient build-up from Napoli at the moment as they work their way upfield to try and get a goal just before the break. Ruiz picks out Milik with a throughball but he can't get a shot away before De Ligt comes out to close him down.

43' Dybala whips a free-kick into the box for Juventus and Ronaldo gets ahead of everyone else to get his head to the ball. He doesn't test Meret though as he sends his effort sailing over the crossbar.

42' Cuadrado puts a deep cross into the box but it's over Ronaldo's head. He does really well to keep it in at the byline, but a heavy first touch from him sees it go out for a throw-in to Napoli.

40' Alex Sandro puts a good cross into the six-yard box and Dybala is running to get on the end of it. There's a coming together between him and Rui and some of the Juventus players are asking for a penalty, but a free-kick is given to the home side.

39' The free-kick comes to nothing and Napoli have the chance to break on the counter-attack. Ruiz tries to set up Milik with a throughball, but De Ligt stretches to get a foot to it which takes it out of his path.

37' Zielinski is staying tight to Cuadrado on the right and giving him no time on the ball. He thinks he's won it back from him again, but he catches the Colombian with his tackle and Juventus have a free-kick in a good position.

35' Dybala plays a throughball into Higuain on the edge of the box but it gets caught under his feet. Both Manolas and Di Lorenzo go across to him and manage to smother his run and come away with the ball.

33' That's a loose pass by Bentancur and Insigne reacts quickly to get on the end of it. He lays it off to Ruiz, but the Juventus defenders don't give him any time on the ball and his cross towards Milik is blocked and cleared.

31' Pjanic is down and receiving some treatment following that tackle from Demme. He's back on his feet quickly and is limping slightly, but it looks like he's going to be able to carry on.

D. Demme

Yellow Card

30' Demme receives the first yellow card of the game after sliding in and catching Pjanic with a late tackle.

28' Milik is picked out by Ruiz, and this time, his control is much better. He cuts back inside and curls his shot towards goal, but a deflection off Alex Sandro takes it out for a corner.

26' Zielinski lifts the ball over the Juventus defenders to pick out Milik's run into the box. His first touch is good but then he loses control of it and De Ligt gets across to put it out for a corner before he can have a shot.

24' Alex Sandro is seeing a lot of the ball down the left for Juventus, but he's been struggling to pick out a team-mate in the box. This time, he squares it low towards Ronaldo, but it's intercepted by Manolas.

22' Napoli have all of their players sitting deep in their own half as they continue to frustrate Juventus by closing down the space ahead of them. The away side are keeping possession well but just can't find a way forward.

20' CLOSE! Rui finds himself in some space just outside the box and decides to go for goal himself. He's trying to nestle his shot into the top-left corner, but there's not enough dip on the shot to take it under the bar.

19' Napoli have lost four Serie A home games in a row for the first time since 1998; they've never lost five consecutive matches at home in the competition.

17' Insigne curls a good cross into the box and Callejon rises above his defender to get on the end of it. He heads his effort down into the ground, but it ends up being a comfortable save for Szczesny in the centre of his goal.

15' Juventus go straight down the other end and Dybala squares the ball to Ronaldo on the edge of the box. He takes a touch to get away from Manolas but can't keep his shot down as he fires it high over the crossbar.

14' Callejon makes a great run down the right and curls his cross into the middle of the box. He's looking for Ruiz in the middle, but it's played behind him which gives Cuadrado the chance to clear it.

12' Cuadrado plays a clever one-two with Bentancur on the right to get past Rui and drills his cross into the box. Higuain is waiting for it in the middle, but Di Lorenzo makes a good block to clear the danger.

10' Juventus are struggling to push up the field at the moment as Napoli are closing down all the space ahead of them. Bonucci plays in Pjanic who turns with the ball, but he can't get past Demme.

8' GOOD CHANCE! Ruiz whips the corner into the crowd waiting in the six-yard box and Milik rises highest to get on the end of it. He flicks his header on, but can't keep it down as he sends it flying over the crossbar.

6' Juventus are enjoying a good spell of possession at the moment and are patiently playing out from the back. Bentancur spots Ronaldo making a run down the right, but he can't keep his pass in play.

4' Zielinski flicks the ball around Cuadrado and picks out Ruiz on the edge of the box. He drills his shot low towards the far bottom corner but doesn't trouble Szczesny as he sends it well wide.

2' Ruiz plays in Callejon and he makes a driving run towards Juventus' box. He chooses to switch play to Insigne on the left, but overhits the pass and sends the ball straight out of play.

1' Dybala gets the game underway for Juventus!

The teams are coming out onto the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.

Napoli have only won one of their last eight league games against Juventus (D1 L6), a 1-0 victory in April 2018 under Sarri.

Sarri makes five changes to his team after their win over Roma in midweek, with Szczesny, Cuadrado, De Ligt, Matuidi and Dybala all starting. Buffon, Rugani, Costa and Rabiot all drop to the bench, while Danilo misses out through injury.

Gennaro Gattuso makes just two changes to his side after their win over Lazio. Meret returns in goal in place of David Ospina and Ruiz also comes in. Lobotka starts on the bench.

JUVENTUS SUBS: Gianluigi Buffon, Adrien Rabiot, Douglas Costa, Luca Coccolo, Aaron Ramsey, Carlo Pinsoglio, Daniele Rugani, Federico Bernardeschi.

JUVENTUS STARTING XI (4-3-1-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Rodrigo Bentancur, Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi; Paulo Dybala; Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo.

NAPOLI SUBS: Antonio Pio Daniele, Stanislav Lobotka, Fernando Llorente, Leandrinho, Orestis Kamezis, Hirving Lozano, Sebastiano Luperto, Nikola Maksimovic, Eljif Elmas.

NAPOLI STARTING XI (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Elseid Hysaj, Kostas Manolas, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mario Rui; Fabian Ruiz, Diego Demme, Piotr Zielinski; Jose Callejon, Arkadiusz Milik, Lorenzo Insigne.

Maurizio Sarri has the chance to take his side six points clear at the top of the table if Juventus beat his former side today and they come into the game on a five-match winning run in all competitions. Napoli, on the other hand, are in desperate need of a win, having only won one of their last 12 league matches (D5 L6). They do come into this game on the back of a victory though, having beaten Lazio 1-0 in the Coppa Italia quarter-final in midweek.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Serie A meeting between Napoli and Juventus at the San Paolo Stadium!

Napoli v Juventus Live Commentary, 27/1/20

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