Can we breathe now?

By: Joe | November 2nd, 2007

Once again the end of the month signaled another loss for Napoli (August - Cagliari, September - Genoa, October - Fiorentina). The Viola got the deserved victory yesterday when Bobo Vieri, making his first appearance in the starting XI, was in the right place at the right time and put a shot past keeper Genarro Iezzo. Fans will feel hard done with the decision to disallow the tying goal from Roberto Sosa, but the fact remains Fiorentina had the bulk of the scoring opportunities and poor finishing, as much as anything, decided this contest.

A victory at the Stadio Artemio Franchi was always going to be a difficult task. Although the Viola haven’t received the accolades of an Inter Milan or Roma and don’t have the international cache of some Juventus players, Fiorentina are a cohesive group that play well in the back anchored by the best keeper in Italy, are well coached and when Mutu is on his game have a worthy on-field general. The Viola hadn’t lost at home since September in one of the best matches of last season when Palermo, in Amauri’s coming out party, took home the victory.

The first 15 minutes were the usual knocking the ball back and forth while the sides “got a feel for one another.” Outside of a horrible 40 yard backpass from Maurizio Domizzi that Iezzo just was able to knock into touch, you could’ve made a nice frisella and not have missed much. Things picked up when (who else?) Ezequiel Lavezzi made a coast to coast run down the left flank and provided Sosa with a beautiful chance that he missed from the six yard box. Iezzo was then forced into a save from a left footed Bobo shot in the 24’ preceded by a header which went just over the bar a few minutes earlier. The stories about Bobo finding his form are certainly true. He played a great game. Will Donadoni actually have the sack to recall him to the Azzurri side? I’d rather see the aforementioned Amauri get a call but since when has the Don stuck his neck out about anything? In the 33’ Napoli had their brightest chance when Sosa nodded down a Domizzi free kick which fell to Lavezzi. El Pocho blasted a right-footed volley but once again Sebastien Frey was there to bail out the Viola.

The 2nd half began with no changes on either side but more misses from both sides. Sosa showed an inability to get the decisive touch again when Fiorentina defender Dario Dainelli made a mistake in the box and left El Pampa all alone. Sosa only managed a left footed volley which was shot right into the arms of Frey. The Viola struck back when Adrian Mutu turned Andrea Cupi inside out and hit a 15-hop cross that Savini should have cleared out but the ball fell to Bobo who couldn’t, and didn’t, miss.

As they have become so good at doing Napoli reacted immediately, a cross form Gyorgy Garics was met in the air by Sosa and his header hit the back of the net. The referee disallowed the goal and called a very debatable push against Sosa. Reja used up his attacking options by subbing Roberto De Zerbi and Emmanuele Calaio (why didn’t he start again?) but the best chance remaining fell to Azzurrini starlet Giampaolo Pazzini who missed in front of the Napoli net. Fans will lament the disallowed goal but on the whole it’s hard to argue with the fact that Fiorentina played a better match and deserved the three points. They routinely switched the point of attack and had Napoli on their heels. The month of hell is over (matches against Inter, Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina) and the only true regret is the 1-0 home loss to Genoa.

Thanks to David D’Antonio and Elio Lo Conte from Club Napoli Internet for contributing to this report. Sign up for the CNI group by going to http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/cni-english/.

Box score:
Fiorentina: Frey; Potenza, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual, Guzmanovic, Liverani, Montolivo,
Jorgensen (Semioli 65), Vieri (Pazzini 74), Mutu
Napoli: Iezzo; Cupi, Cannavaro, Domizzi, Garics, (Montervino 56), Hamsik (De Zerbi 72), Gargano, Bogliacino, Savini, Sosa, Lavezzi (Calaio’ 80)
yellows: Savini, Cannavaro, Dainelli, Domizzi, Pasqual.

Video highlights