Napoli’s Zielinski strips down to underwear as fans celebrate title

Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski bizarrely stripped down to his underwear as part of the club’s jubilant Serie A title celebrations. The Azzurri drew with Udinese on Thursday night, which was exactly what they needed to mathematically put the title race to bed and end their long wait for an Italian league triumph.

This week, Napoli fans finally arrived at the moment they knew was coming for a while. Luciano Spalletti’s side have been a class apart in Serie A this campaign, losing only three of their 33 matches, and a draw against Udinese put them 16 points clear of Lazio with only five games remaining.

Star striker Victor Osimhen has put together a heroic season, so it was fitting that his second-half equaliser lifted the roof off Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where a packed-out crowd had gathered to witness the away clash on large TV screens.

As the full-time whistle confirmed Napoli’s first Serie A title since 1989/90, when Diego Maradona was still at the club, the post-match celebrations were predictably joyous.

On the more curious side of things, Zielinski, who came on for the Azzurri as a 64th-minute substitute, celebrated with supporters while in nothing but the blue shirt and his underwear. The scene is one of many celebratory sights set to unfold in Naples over the next 24 hours.

Napoli delayed the inevitable on Sunday by drawing with Salernitana, despite registering 24 shots and enjoying 74 per cent possession, as Boulaye Dia’s 84th-minute strike sent Spalletti and co back to the drawing board.

Spalletti, who has now sealed hero status after guiding Napoli to just their third league title, becomes the oldest-ever Serie A-winning manager at 64 years old. The Italian also has spells at Roma and Inter Milan on his CV, as well as Udinese, against whom his side sealed their triumph on Thursday.

Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have established themselves as the Italian giants’ main superstars this term, with top clubs sure to circle throughout the summer transfer window.