ROME
AC Milan kept on Lazio’s heels at the top of Serie A as they beat 10-man Napoli 2-1 at the San Paolo stadium in Naples on Monday. Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the goals for Milan as Michele Pazienza was sent-off for the hosts for a pair of handballs before Ezequiel Lavezzi hit an ingenious late consolation.
Milan now trail Lazio by just two points in second place while Napoli, who were by far the better side for long periods, even with 10 men, remain sixth. Napoli, as ever, were slow out of the blocks and the first chance fell to Milan as Robinho’s low shot was saved by Morgan De Sanctis on the quarter hour.
But on 22 minutes they were ahead as Robinho played a one-two with substitute Massimo Oddo before finishing inside the far corner. However, Napoli’s disorganised defending was the true architect as they had seven defenders and their goalkeeper in the area but still failed to pick up the Brazilian’s run.
The reaction from the hosts was swift as four minutes later Lavezzi got down the right and crossed for Marek Hamsik, whose near post toe-poke went wide. Hamsik then crossed from the left but Edinson Cavani missed his shot and substitute Hassan Yebda attacked with the wrong foot, playing the ball almost back to where it had come from.
Andrea Dossena got down the left and crossed for Cavani but he didn’t get hold of his shot and it bobbled wide. Pazienza was then dismissed, somewhat harshly, for a second yellow card after picking up both for handball offences. Zlatan Ibrahimovic tried an acrobatic effort from seven yards that De Sanctis parried in stoppage time. Even down to 10 men, Napoli were on the attack after the break and Lavezzi volleyed just over from Dossena’s centre.
But Milan were dangerous on the counter and Ibrahimovic should have done better than curl a shot into De Sanctis’s arms when well placed. Napoli paid again for poor defending on 71 minutes as Oddo burst down the right and crossed into the centre where the unmarked Ibrahimovic headed home from 6 yards out.
Lavezzi was a thorn in Milan’s side all night and a determined run down the right saw him skip past Sokratis Papastathopoulos with a clever back-heel and tee up Cavani who, having an awful night, shot well wide.
But on 78 minutes he went shoulder to shoulder with Papastathopoulos again and after they both fell over, Lavezzi over the ball, the Argentine managed to quickly stand up and flick the ball over Abbiati and in off the bar.
