February 10, (THEWILL) – Napoli failed to capitalise on their opportunity to increase their lead at the summit of Italian football on Sunday, drawing 1-1 with Udinese at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Scott McTominay opened the scoring for the league leaders before Jurgen Ekkelenkamp responded with an equaliser, leaving Napoli’s advantage at three points.
The match held particular significance following Inter Milan’s 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina earlier in the week – a fixture rescheduled from December due to a medical emergency involving Edoardo Bove. Inter maintain the possibility of reducing the gap when they face Fiorentina on Monday, while Atalanta remain within striking distance, sitting five points behind after their commanding 5-0 victory over Verona.
The first half presented limited opportunities until McTominay’s 37th-minute header from Matteo Politano’s corner delivery found the target. However, Udinese responded swiftly through Ekkelenkamp’s long-range effort three minutes later, capitalising on a defensive error.
The second period witnessed Napoli’s territorial dominance, though genuine scoring opportunities proved scarce and far between.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
