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Napoli cruised to a 3-0 victory over Cremonese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to 16 points.
Napoli’s incredible season continued with a 3-0 win over Cremonese as they opened up a 16-point lead at the Serie A summit.
Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Eljif Elmas propelled them to an easy win as they avenged their penalty shootout defeat to the same opponents in the Coppa Italia last month.
How it happened
Napoli started brightly as Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui had early chances comfortably saved, while Johan Vasquez wasted a rare opening at the other end, when, after being picked out in acres of space in the area, he was let down by a heavy touch.
That came back to haunt him when Kvaratskhelia handed Luciano Spalletti’s side a 21st minute lead, firing into the bottom corner following an unchallenged burst into the area.
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The Georgian then sent a towering header over the bar, as did Victor Osimhen, as Napoli became completely and utterly dominant, with Stanislav Lobotka also being thwarted by Marco Carnesecchi before the break.
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The hosts made it 2-0 just after the hour mark when the excellent Osimhen tapped home from close range after Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s effort had been superbly saved.
Substitute Eljif Elmas grabbed a third late on, completing a lovely move that he started himself by firing into the bottom corner after exchanging passes with Di Lorenzo.
Player of the match - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli).
This is the Georgian’s first season in Serie A, but he has quickly announced himself as one of European football’s most glittering players.
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Celebrating his 22nd birthday, the forward was simply imperious, grabbing his ninth goal of the league season in the first half with a fierce finish after tenaciously keeping the ball in play.
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