Napoli strengthened their grip on top spot ahead of next week’s showdown against Juventus with a narrow 1-0 win over Carpi at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday afternoon in Serie A.
Gonzalo Higuain netted the contest’s solitary from the penalty spot on 68 minutes after the away side had held the league leaders at arm’s length before Raffaele Bianco’s dubious sending off.
The Partenopei fashioned the first menacing attempt on goal. Faouzi Ghoulam flashed a pass into Higuain’s feet before the Argentine spun Simone Romagnoli and scooped his effort across goal.
Napoli’s talisman went close in quick succession inside the opening quarter, firing into the side-netting and into Vid Belec’s gloves from a Jose Callejon knockdown.
Kevin Lasagna manufactured Carpi’s first opportunity of the game on 35 minutes when he rose above Elseid Hysaj but headed wide.
Kalidou Koulibaly teed up Callejon on the edge of the area after the visitors had failed to clear from a free kick, but the Spaniard snatched at his effort.
Hysaj picked out the winger with a delivery on 41 minutes but he glanced his header inches wide of the far post.
Higuain drew a fine save from Belec shortly after the interval when he turned Romagnoli and arrowed an effort towards goal.
Bianco was dismissed for the visitors on 55 minutes when he was adjudged to have clipped Lorenzo Insigne and was subsequently shown his second yellow card of the afternoon.
The leaders were presented with a golden opportunity to break the deadlock when Fabio Daprela wrestled Koulibaly to the ground from an innocuous corner 13 minutes later. Higuain spotted the ball and rifled his spot-kick low into the bottom corner for his 24th goal of the campaign.
The goalscorer was ushered in by a deft Insigne flick on 77 minutes but his attempted dink over Belec posed no danger.
Lasagna was inches away from levelling for the away side when he created space on the edge of the area, shifted the ball onto his favoured side and curled an effort that skimmed the top of the crossbar.
The result keeps the Partenopei two points clear of Juve at the top while Carpi are 18th and five points off safety.
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com