FIORENTINA-NAPOLI 0-3 | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS | SERIE A 2024/25

A big clash to start 2025 for Fiorentina and Napoli as Viola and Partenopei meet at the Artemio Franchi in the first league game of the year. Antonio Conte and Napoli have the chance to go top of the Serie A standings in the absence of Inter and Atalanta, who were participating in the Supercoppa in Saudi Arabia. Raffaele Palladino and Fiorentina's league form has stuttered in recent weeks and if La Viola wish to keep their outsider chance of competing for the title and ending a 56-year wait for the top prize in Italy, then three points today are a must. But it won't be easy against the meanest defence in Serie A and against a team they haven't beaten at home since 2018. Napoli have returned to being a side to be feared in Italy following the arrival of Antonio Conte and Antonio Conte will be looking to get the better of his former team-mate Raffaele Palladino here at the Artemio Franchi. Antonio Conte and Raffaele Palladino played together during the 2003-04 season. They wore the Juventus jersey during that campaign and they meet for the first time as coaches. Time now for the starting line-ups. Raffaele Palladino tweaks his formation for this match against Napoli. It's a 3-4-2-1 formation for La Viola with summer signing Matias Moreno making his Serie A debut. Dodo and Parisi are on the flanks whereas Rolando Mandragora comes into midfield. Antonio Beltran and Sotilo, who scored the equaliser against Juventus, are just behind. Top scorer this season for La Viola, Munzik Hen. Napoli are without two key players for this trip to Florence. Kvisec Kvaretskhelia and Matteo Politano are both out with injuries so Leonardo Spinazzola is set to play in an attacking role. Juan Jesus continues at centre-back in place of Alessandro Buongiorno who is out injured but the engine room of the team is tested and unchanged. Loboc, McTominay and Anguissa, when those three are on their game, it is more often than not difficult to stop Napoli. A minute's silence there held for Aldo Agropi, former midfielder in Italy and also one of the former head coaches of Fiorentina, took charge of Fiorentina in two different occasions, the 85-86 season where he led them to a fourth place finish in Serie A and also taking charge of Fiorentina in the 93 campaign as well. It's time now for Fiorentina against Napoli to kick-start the 2025 calendar year for both these teams. Sottile has Parisi free, Sottile who is in a dangerous area but Luisy Ken not really making the run there, a little bit too far ahead, Oliveira, Spinazzola. Two crosses that have gone straight out of play from Spinazzola, this time he's found Oliveira, now it's Lukaku to Oliveira. The offside flag is up but it was a wonderful Napoli team move and Antonio Conte will be hoping that the assistant referee has mistakenly put the flag up but I think on the evidence we've just seen Oliveira was offside and Lukaku may have been offside as well. We'll have confirmation now of that offside decision, here's Spinazzola, Spinazzola still attacking Dodot, gets the better of Dodot, Davide De Gea this time comes up with the save, Oliveira toward Lukaku, David Neres now, this is a good spell for Napoli, Di Lorenzo, tail by Parisi, Napoli captain holds on to the ball and eventually it's out of play but Di Lorenzo just showing a little bit of frustration there that his teammates didn't really provide him with an option. In comes the cross, it's headed towards goal by Rahmani, Lukaku that's really good play, David Neres, David Neres up against Ranieri, David Neres still going, oh that is a wonderful solo goal, individual brilliance from David Neres. Flying high at the moment, Napoli's number seven, he starts to move Lukaku into his path and then look at this, the strength and then the skill, Ranieri doesn't put in a challenge, he dare not put in a challenge but David Neres on his weaker right foot picking out that top corner, that is so, so difficult to do and against one of the top goalkeepers in the league and David De Gea. Andracora has players in the middle to aim for, Sotil does get the cross away towards Ken, Ken pivots and Ken fires home, he's back amongst the goals, Moizy Ken, that's a pure striker's finish. I don't think the goal's been given, the assistant referee and Gianluca Manganiello have decided that this may be handball by Moizy Ken. That's what the on-pitch decision is and it will be checked of course by Alejandro Di Paolo who is our VAR official. It's a difficult call, I think the last two replays indicate that the ball did hit Moizy Ken's hand so this isn't going to count. About eight minutes remaining in this first half, Moizy Ken the target, Lobotka away, Adli wants more, Andracora, Meret has to get down to make the stop, I think it was awkward for Meret, might have taken a little deflection, Ranieri to David Neres, one back by Fiorentina, momentum has certainly switched camps now, Sotir brought down there and that will be a yellow card as well as a free kick. The half-time whistle goes at the Artemio Franchi and it is a moment of individual brilliance from David Neres which led to the only goal in the first 45 minutes, Moizy Ken had a goal ruled out for handball in the build-up, Lukaku has weighed on the Fiorentina defence but hasn't been able to get himself on the score sheet so far, Napoli very good value in the opening half, the score at the break here, the Artemio Franchi, Fiorentina nil, Napoli one. As it stands Antonio Conte and Napoli have regained top spots in Serie A, Lobotka, Rahmani, Neres, Lukaku, now Ongisa, back to David Neres, David Neres, Lukatomune took it on, he maybe could have left that one for Lukaku who, Ongisa, Moreno, Ongisa has won it back and he was taken down by Matias Moreno, he's been almost faultless in this game but he's conceded a penalty on debut here, Moreno a little bit unlucky, tries to play it off Ongisa, takes a risk and then that is a wild challenge, no complaints, it's Lukaku and it's calmly slotted past David de Gea, he missed against Venezia but he immediately corrects his aim in this game against Fiorentina, it's a goal and an assist in this game for the Belgian, really confidently taken penalty there, waits for de Gea to commit, eyes glued on the Spaniard all the way, Chen, good first touch, Colpani coming up in support but Beltrans found a bit of space, here he is, Adli, Gosens, goes round Sotilo, crosses in, Mandragora, Meret with the save and somehow it's not gone in, how have Napoli survived that, Spinazzola gives it away to Dodot, Beltran, inches wide, Beltrans header there, puts an end to what had been a really dangerous move, Gosens immediately showing why such a big attacking threat this season, Mandragora forcing Meret to save and then Rahmani gets his body in the way, David Neres back to Romelu Lukaku, Gosens trying to close him down, Lukaku to Neres, this time he couldn't get it on target, David Neres, Sotilo still going, Mandragora, Adli, blocked, Gosens is there, watched over his crossbar by Alex Meret, Dodot has been caught in possession by Anguissa, Anguissa's cross, it falls to McTominay, Super Scott on target again for Napoli, one of the club's biggest fan favourites with another industrious performance and a performance to which he adds a goal, his fourth in the league this season, Scott McTominay, the ball given away by Dodot and Napoli have luck but it's a mistake by Komuzo and that is a very cool finish from McTominay, Sotilo finds a bit of space, can he fire? He can, wasn't very far away at all, perfect start to 2025 for Napoli, three goals, a clean sheet and top of the Serie A table, David Neres with a wonderful solo goal which was followed by Romelu Lukaku's penalty as he made amends for the penalty missed against Venezia in the Partenope's previous game and the points then guaranteed by Scott McTominay who continues to go from strength to strength, Antonio Conte will be delighted, Napoli make a statement win and Napoli showing that they will be one of the biggest contenders to win the Scudetto, it's ended here the Artemio Franchi, Fiorentina nil, Napoli three.