Naples, Another Friendly Win: Massimiliano Allegri Has Two Reasons to Smile

Napoli followed up its victory over Carrarese with another win, defeating Osasuna 2-1 in a friendly match played in Castel di Sangro. Massimiliano Allegri’s team continues to show signs of improvement and, starting with a 4-3-3 formation, secured the victory thanks to goals by Matteo Politano in the first half and Lorenzo Lucca in the second. The Livorno-born coach took advantage of the match to rotate much of the roster, completely changing the starting lineup in the second half. A penalty converted by Ante Budimir wasn’t enough for the Spanish side to get back into the game.

Following their loss to Arezzo and their win over Carrarese, the Azzurri confirmed their progress even against a high-caliber opponent like Osasuna. In the first half, Matteo Politano was the undisputed star. The attacking winger nearly opened the scoring early by setting up a good chance for Anguissa, then in the 27th minute, he broke the deadlock with a splendid left-footed volley off a cross from Spinazzola, making it 1-0. The former Sassuolo player continued to pose a threat, and just a few minutes later, he nearly scored his second goal when his direct free kick struck the crossbar.

In the second half, Allegri completely reshuffled the lineup right from the start, bringing in eight new players. Among them was Lorenzo Lucca, who wasted no time making his mark: after receiving a pass from Anguissa, the forward controlled the ball and beat the opposing goalkeeper with a precise right-footed shot from inside the box, putting Napoli up 2-0.

Osasuna, however, did not give up and managed to pull one back in the 60th minute. Budimir earned a penalty after a foul by Obaretin and converted from the spot. Milinkovic-Savic, who had come on for Meret after halftime, guessed the direction of the shot but was unable to prevent the Croatian striker from scoring.

In the closing minutes, the Azzurri comfortably held onto their lead without much trouble and even came close to scoring a third goal on two occasions through Alisson Santos, who narrowly missed finding the net. This marks another encouraging victory for Napoli, who continue to build up playing time and assimilate Allegri’s tactics ahead of the start of the season. The next preseason match will see the Neapolitans face another Spanish team, Celta Vigo, in a friendly scheduled for Saturday, August 8.