Napoli vs Inter 1-1: Late Billing Equalizer Sets Scudetto Race Ablaze | OneFootball

At the Stadio Maradona, the two main Scudetto contenders clashed heads in what was arguably the most anticipated fixture of the entire Serie A campaign. Federico Dimarco gave the visitors the lead in the first half with an unstoppable freekick, but Philip Billing scored what could turn out to be the most significant goal of the season to rescue a draw for the Partenopei.

Napoli & Inter Starting Lineups

Antonio Conte started with a 3-5-2 formation that mirrored his counterpart. Giacomo Raspadori joined Romelu in attack, while Billy Gilmour filled in for Zambo Anguissa in the middle of the park, linking up with Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay. Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano operated as wingbacks, while Giovanni Di Lorenzo formed the three-man backline with Alessandro Buongiorno and Amir Rrahmani.

For his part, Simone Inzaghi fielded what is arguably his ideal lineup, spearheaded by Lautaro Martinez and the returning Marcus Thuram who were supported by Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries on the wings. Hakan Calhanoglu operated as a deep-lying playmaker in between Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni linked up at the back.

Dimarco with the Stunning Opener

Following a cagey half hour of play, Dimarco stunned the Stadio Maradona with an absolute pearler from a direct freekick. The left-back left Alex Meret with might just be the perfect delivery. With such power, bend and precision behind the strike, the goalkeeper never had a chance.

Thrilling End to the First Half

Inter’s astonishing opener brought the contest to life, prompting an immediate reaction from Napoli who launched an onslaught late in the first half. Lukaku came close with an audacious volley but could only hit the side net, while his close-range attempt was superbly blocked by Bastoni. Raspadori also came close after dribbling past Josep Martinez, but a needless extra touch took the ball out of bounds.

Moreover, Dimarco almost completed a brace before the half-time whistle after being put through on goal with a clever header from Thuram. However, Buongiorno tracked back to pull off a courageous block.

Relentless Napoli

After the break, Inter had eleven men behind the ball for the bulk of the second half, leaving the initiative to Napoli who hardly found any space to maneuver. The Partenopei threatened through McTominay’s shot, but was parried away by Martinez.

But in the end, the home side’s hard work paid off, as they managed to find the invaluable equalizer through Philip Billing who came off the bench to score the most important goal of his career thus far. Lobotka drove the ball forward before picking up the former Bournemouth man between the crowds.

The latter found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. But while Martinez won the initial tilt by stopping the ball with his trailing leg, the midfielder was lucky enough to poach the rebound, sparking an euphoric reaction on the sidelines and in the stands.

In the end, the 1-1 draw preserved the status quo on top of the league table, but it sets up what should be an epic finale, with Atalanta and Juventus potentially joining the title race.