Napoli Secures 4-1 Victory Over Monza Despite Injury to Lobotka
Napoli ended AC Monza’s streak of home wins with a commanding 4-1 victory, during which Rasmus Hojlund broke his goal drought, although the match was marred by a potentially serious injury to Stanislav Lobotka, who was stretchered off.
Facing pressure after a surprising defeat to Venezia and a dramatic 3-3 draw with Napoli that included a sending-off for Max Allegri, the Partenopei took the field under assistant coach Marco Landucci, as a number of players remained sidelined due to injury. Notable absences included Benoit Badiashile, Leonardo Spinazzola, David Neres, Alisson Santos, Costantino Favasuli, and Alessandro Buongiorno. Amir Rrahmani returned from flu but there were no other lineup changes.
Monza had previously exploited their home advantage successfully, winning their last two matches against Sassuolo and Cagliari. Despite injuries to Jan Ziolkowski, Matteo Pessina, Yvan Maye, and Michael Folorunsho, Gustavo Varela was in excellent form, netting nine goals in eight matches this season. Exequiel Zeballos, who nearly transferred to Napoli over the summer, started on the Monza bench.
It took only 63 seconds for the first shot on target, with Samuele Birindelli testing the gloves of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Napoli quickly took the lead when Hojlund ended his eight-match scoring dry spell. Giovanni Di Lorenzo intercepted the ball and played a precise through ball to Hojlund, who finished it off.
However, the match took a concerning turn for Napoli when Ricardo Mangas fell awkwardly onto Lobotka, injuring his ankle. Lobotka had to be stretchered off in visible pain and was replaced by Billy Gilmour, later being taken to a local hospital for X-rays.
Matteo Politano had a chance to extend Napoli’s lead after an error from Birindelli, but Lucchesi thwarted his attempt. At the other end, Foe Ondoa fired a shot just wide of the target. Both Hojlund and Matias Olivera struggled to convert another Politano cross as Milinkovic-Savic showcased his reflexes to keep out a curled effort from Varela. Monza equalized before the break when a cross from Jay Robinson found Varela, who headed it in from close range.
Shortly after the second half commenced, Varela came close again, curling a shot just over the bar, but Napoli regained the lead soon after. Politano intercepted a pass from Mangas, cutting inside to bend a shot through Lucchesi’s legs and into the bottom corner.
Milinkovic-Savic earned his pay with another terrific one-handed save, denying a powerful shot from Ondoa. However, Napoli’s dominance continued, as Rafa Marin converted a corner kick to extend Napoli’s lead, highlighting Monza’s struggles with set-piece defenses. The scoring was capped off when Kevin De Bruyne, receiving a clever pass from Noa Lang, beat the goalkeeper to seal the game.
In the end, the match concluded with a scoreline of 4-1 in favor of Napoli, with goals from Hojlund, Varela, Politano, Marin, and De Bruyne. This win solidified Napoli’s position despite the setback of Lobotka’s injury.
Final Score: Monza 1-4 Napoli
Goals: Hojlund 10 (N), Varela 43 (M), Politano 48 (N), Rafa Marin 62 (N), De Bruyne 67 (N)
