Het Grote SSC Napoli topic, nu vanuit de Serie B

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Focus: Back in time



Italy winning the World Cup after a footballing scandal is not the only reason people may be forgiven for thinking there was an eighties revival going on in the Italian game, writes Simon Finaldi.

On Sunday night an almost full to capacity San Paolo Stadium saw something it had not witnessed since the glory days of the late eighties and early nineties as Napoli sent the Old Lady of Italian football home crying into her black and white handkerchief.

In a spectacular 3-3 tie that saw two red cards and went all the way to penalties, the southern giants came from behind twice to peg Juventus back and eventually watch them go out of the Coppa Italia.

Goals from Napoli’s two frontmen Cristian Bucchi and Emanuele Calaiò cancelled out Giorgio Chiellini’s opener before a brace from world champion Alessandro Del Piero seemed to put the game beyond the home side.

However, Paolo Cannavaro – brother of Fabio who quit Juve for Real Madrid this summer – had other ideas as his last minute scissor-kick sent the 60,000 strong crowd wild and the game to a penalty shoot-out which the hosts won 5-4.

The Juve team had no Michel Platini and the Neapolitans had no Diego Armando Maradona, but it had the atmosphere and flavour of those great encounters.

Much has happened to both sides since then, problems off the pitch have forced the pair into the lower Divisions and although Juventus have lost more, in players and silverware, Napoli’s road has been harder, having to find a new owner and start from the bottom of the professional League.

On Sunday night all that was forgotten and the two teams met as equals again. The people of southern Italy’s principle city felt the thrill of being among Italian football’s elite – at least in name – a thrill which has been denied them for far too long.

San Paolo hero Cannavaro commented: “A crowd like this takes your breath away. The character and will of this team to reach its objectives are its strength and it has been built to be one of the big boys, one of the main contenders this season.”

A squad strengthened by Sam Della Bona, once of Chelsea, and Serie B’s top scorer last season Bucchi made this meeting a statement of intent ahead of the long and difficult promotion campaign. The only Italian champions south of Rome are back at last.