In the end it was just one goal.
A 56th-minute header from Edin Dzeko, which would prove the only one of a much-anticipated Serie A contest in the San Siro.
Will it prove crucial in the overall standings or was it just a brief setback for a team aiming to make memories and history?
Well, we will find out over the next five months but, as milestone moments in a campaign go, it was certainly not insignificant as a run of 11 consecutive Serie A victories, leaving Napoli as the only unbeaten side in Europe’s top five leagues, finally came to an end.
Serie A is back and how we’ve missed it.
After a seven-week absence, we were certainly treated to some Serie A 2023 highlights to savour upon its return.
In a league which has storylines from top to bottom, the day started with the champions.
Their hero was Sandro Tonali who scored one and set up another to guide Milan to a 2-1 victory at Salernitana.
Portuguese livewire Rafael Leao put them ahead just 10 minutes in, picking up Tonali’s pass and going around goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa for a brilliant finish.
Tonali got on the scoresheet five minutes later with a long-range strike into the bottom corner.
Salernitana substitute Federico Bonazzoli pulled one back with seven minutes remaining when he beat goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu at the back post but it was not enough.
Only 17 days after playing the World Cup final for France, Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud were included in Milan’s starting XI, setting a new record for Serie A.
The two Frenchmen broke Marcelo Brozovic’s record dating back to 2018, when the Croatia international started for Inter Milan 35 days after he featured in the World Cup final.
It was the same scoreline in another early encounter and, my word, 1991 champions Sampdoria needed it as they earned what could prove a vital victory at Sassuolo to boost their bid to beat the drop.
Manolo Gabbiadini and Tommasso Augello were the men on target to move them within five points of Spezia who, although would probably have taken a point beforehand, would have been disappointed to have been pegged back by Atalanta.
Emmanuel Gyasi and M’Bala Nzola had put the hosts 2-0 up at the break and Ethan Ampadu had the ball in the net but was ruled offside. It provide crucial as Rasmus Højlund pulled one back with 13 minutes remaining and then, in stoppage time, Mario Pasalic grabbed a leveller from close range.
One of the other strugglers, rock-bottom Hellas Verona, also led in their match at Torino through Milan Djuric but had to settle for a point and they remain well adrift at the foot of the table.
Spare a thought also for the other team in the relegation zone.
Without a win all season, Cremonese were within minutes of holding the mighty Juventus until Arkadiusz Milik broke their hearts.
His last-gasp free kick sealed a seventh successive victory for Max Allegri’s men who, until that point, had been denied by the heroics of Marco Carnesecchi.
Cremonese had hit the woodwork twice themselves and were left heartbroken when Milik’s long-range free-kick dipped and went in off the underside of the bar.
That keeps Juve in third place, while fifth-placed Lazio are now only level on points with their arch rivals Roma.
While they were going down to a 2-1 defeat at Lecce – Ciro Immobile put them in front before Gabriel Strefezza and Lorenzo Colombo led a dramatic second-half fightback – an early penalty from Lorenzo Pellegrini proved enough for Roma to get back on track with a 1-0 home win over Bologna.
And so to the big game of the night, the main event between Inter Milan and the leaders with many asking, could Napoli pick up from where they left off?
The Partenopei had won 13 of their opening 15 matches before the break, drawing two but, realistically, did not do enough to maintain their unbeaten record, even if it took a fine save from goalkeeper Andre Onana to deny Giacomo Raspadori a late equaliser.
Where does this leave the SBOTOP Serie A 2023 betting odds I hear you ask?
Well, in a very tasty position indeed with Napoli five points ahead of the defending champions with Juventus a further two adrift and Inter Milan hot on their heels just one back.
Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti believes his team lost the Scudetto showdown with Inter because they were ‘below par’ and moved the ball ‘too slowly without the usual quality.’ With Juventus and Roma to come before the end of the month we are about to find out a lot more about the team of the season so far.
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