Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi controls the ball in their Italian League match against Napoli at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on Saturday. Inter won 2-0. (Photo: AP)
Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi controls the ball in their Italian League match against Napoli at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on Saturday. Inter won 2-0. (Photo: AP)
Goals by Mauro Icardi and Marcelo Brozovic earned Inter Milan a Champions League lifeline on the way to virtually ending Napoli’s hopes of a first Serie ‘A’ title in 26 years with a dramatic 2-0 win on Saturday.
Napoli travelled to the San Siro hoping they could make light of 30-goal Gonzalo Higuain’s three-match ban following his dramatic meltdown — when he was sent off the pitch for shoving the referee — in a 1-3 defeat at Udinese two weeks ago.
But Maurizio Sarri’s men were stunned in the fourth minute when an apparently offside Icardi ran behind the Napoli defence to lob Pepe Reina.
Inter then soaked up a lengthy spell of Napoli pressure to hit their second on the stroke of half-time to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb.
Napoli remain in second place at six points behind Juventus but could be nine points in arrears if the champions and leaders account for Palermo in Turin on Sunday, after which there will be five matches remaining in the season.
Inter remain in fourth place but Roberto Mancini’s men are now just three points behind oma, who occupy the third and last Champions League qualifying spot ahead of their potentially difficult trip to Atalanta.
The last time these sides met — an Italian Cup quarterfinal that Inter won 2-0 — Sarri ended up in hot water for calling Mancini “a poof” during a homophobic tirade on the touchlines.
But at a packed San Siro that saw Inter fans rally to the cause, the former Manchester City manager was the one left smiling.
Napoli made a bright start, but after just four minutes Icardi ran on to Gary Medel’s long ball as Napoli's defence went the other way. The Argentine striker promptly lobbed the onrushing Reina to give them the lead.
