Ekkelenkamp puts Napoli to the sword as Inter have the chance to top Serie A | OneFootball

Udinese beat Napoli 1-0 to inflict an uncomfortable afternoon upon Antonio Conte’s men in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

As La Gazetta somewhat ironically exclaim, will the Azzurri perhaps consider Jurgen Ekkelenkamp as an option for their at-times vacant midfield?

After today, Conte might just have the 25-year-old Dutchman’s name scrawled somewhere, as his emphatic goal was the difference maker at the Bluenergy Stadium.

Udinese were much the brighter and fresher side in comparison to the Italian champions, and had two goals disallowed by the VAR. First, Keinan Davis was ruled offside after converting a parried Nicolo Bertola shot in the 53rd minute. Then, in the 69th, Nicolo Zaniolo’s fine finish was ruled out for a foul on Stanislav Lobotka by Jesper Karlstrom.

On 73′, no one could stop the Udine natives from celebrating this time, as Ekkelenkamp made the most of some calamitous defending.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo struggled to deal with a bouncing ball and lost out to Davis. He passed it off to Ekkelenkamp, who took a touch down the left side of the box before striking a powerful, deflected effort over Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

With this win, Udinese push themselves up to 10th, after really making up for a record that, before today, saw them lose four of their previous six games.

The hosts were more focused than the Scudetto holders, as Napoli ultimately failed to capitalise on Milan’s 2-2 home setback against Sassuolo. Now, they risk being overtaken by Inter if they beat 15th-placed Genoa away from home.

GIFN | Max Bradfield