Napoli win first Italian Serie A title in 33 years

Needing only a draw to take an unassailable 16-point lead with five games remaining, Serie A’s top scorer, Victor Osimhen, equalised for Napoli in the 52nd minute to spark wild celebrations throughout Naples, inside the stadium in Udine and beyond.

The Nigerian international’s 26th goal of the season secured Napoli their third Scudetto in the club’s history.

Luciano Spalletti’s side could have clinched the title with a win against Salernitana on Sunday after Lazio failed to beat Inter Milan. But Napoli drew 1-1 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples to prolong their wait for clinching the title this season.

The league title is the club’s first since 1990 when the late Diego Maradona – after whom the team’s home stadium is named – inspired it to the Scudetto.

Napoli’s triumph sees Luciano Spalletti’s side become the first team outside of Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan to win the Serie A title since Roma in 2001.

Napoli has led Serie A from the outset this season, embarking on a 15-game unbeaten streak at the start of the campaign that saw them not lose a league match until January.The goals of Victor Osimhen have helped fire Spalletti’s side to the title. The 24-year-old Nigeria forward is the league’s top scorer with 21 goals in 26 appearances.

Another standout performer has been winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who arrived as an unheralded signing from Georgia last summer and became a sensation, scoring 12 league goals and adding 10 assists.

Spalletti’s side have won 25 league matches this season, drawing five and losing three. The triumph marks the third time in their history that Napoli have been crowned Serie A champions.

Their previous titles came during Diego Maradona’s legendary spell at the club in 1986-87 and 1989-90.

According to the BT Sport broadcast, nearly 11,000 Napoli supporters had travelled to the Dacia Arena to witness such a long-awaited moment for their team. Napoli fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate when the referee blew the full-time whistle, with players being mobbed in jubilant scenes.

“Seeing Neapolitans happy is enough to give you a sense of that joy they are feeling,” Napoli coach Spalletti, who at 64 became the oldest manager to win Serie A, told United Kingdoms news agency DAZN after the game.