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Napoli’s title hopes suffered another blow as they were beaten 2-1 by Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Antonio Conte’s side missed the chance to reclaim top spot in Serie A as Assane Diao’s fine strike extended the visitors’ winless streak to four matches.
Having been overtaken at the summit by Inter on Saturday, Napoli made a nightmare start when Amir Rrahmani handed the lead to Como in the seventh minute. The Kosovan centre-back attempted a back-pass from Matteo Politano’s throw-in, but with the goalkeeper Alex Meret out of position, the ball bounced into an empty net.
Ten minutes later, the Napoli forward Giacomo Raspadori pounced on some sloppy defending to slot the ball past the Como keeper, Jean Butez, and level things up. Napoli could not push on in the second half and were punished in the 77th minute, when winger Assane Diao fired home a stunning finish from Nico Paz’s precise pass.
“It’s definitely a setback that hurts because of the way it came, because on a mental level we showed cracks, just like in the last three games where we always got caught up,” Conte said. “I think the boys are really giving their best but we need to make a path and give time to grow, not only from a technical [or] tactical point of view but also in terms of mentality.
“We’ve been playing since the beginning of the year with this pressure, which fortunately we brought on ourselves: being there at the top of the table or at least being close. This was absolutely not expected. Now we have to face it in the best way, trying to analyse why in the second half they [Como] had more hunger and desire.”
Inter, who defeated Genoa 1-0 on Saturday, stay a point clear at the top. The two title-chasing sides meet at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next Saturday, while Atalanta are just two points clear of Napoli after ending a difficult week with a 5-0 thrashing of relegation-threatened Empoli.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 27th minute after Davide Zappacosta’s cross deflected in off the Empoli striker Emmanuel Gyasi. Mateo Retegui doubled Atalanta’s lead six minutes later before Ademola Lookman made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute, latching onto a through ball and deftly rounding goalkeeper Marco Silvestri.
Lookman had been criticised by manager Gian Piero Gasperini after missing a penalty in Atalanta’s Champions League defeat to Club Brugge but the forward made amends here. He got his second from Marten de Roon’s through-ball, evading the offside trap and firing home from a tight angle. Zappacosta added a fifth in the 74th minute.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich powered past third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, winning 4-0 to reopen their eight-point lead over Leverkusen at the top.
Vincent Kompany’s side were dominant throughout, but did not take the lead until Michael Olise tapped in Leroy Sané’s cutback in first-half stoppage time. Centre-back Hiroki Ito scored Bayern’s second from a corner, becoming the first Japanese player to score a league goal for the club.
Harry Kane came on as a second-half substitute after recovering from a calf injury, before Sané put a golden chance wide with 12 minutes to go. Jamal Musiala did better five minutes later, charging forward and finishing a solo effort. With the Eintracht backline in tatters, substitute Serge Gnabry slotted in their fourth in stoppage time.
In La Liga, Real Madrid ended a three-match winless run, beating Girona 2-0 at the Bernabéu to move back up to second in the table. The hosts went ahead just before half-time through Luka Modric’s superb strike from outside the penalty area. The veteran midfielder controlled a clearance on his chest before volleying home.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side dominated the second half but were unable to extend their lead, until Vinícius Júnior put the result to bed with a low strike in the 83rd minute. Afterwards, the Real Madrid manager said: “Modric is a gift to football. He should stay as long as he wants to. We have been lucky to have a legend with us.”
“I had another 40-year-old player, who was [Paulo] Maldini,” Ancelotti added. “The two can be compared in what a footballer has to be. They are fantastic examples. It’s not by chance that they have reached 40 [and are still playing]. Genetics matter, but also commitment, attitude.”
Athletic Bilbao boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification with a 7-1 thrashing of the bottom club, Valladolid. Nico Williams set up Mikel Jauregizar for the opener after 11 minutes and then added the second with a solo run and finish as Athletic set about extended their unbeaten league run to 16 games.
Maroan Sannadi got the third and Oihan Sancet the fourth before half-time at San Mamés, and while the visitors pulled one back early in the second half, things got worse for them as Stanko Juric was sent off. Nico Williams curled home his second goal, before Iñaki Williams set up Gorka Guruzeta for Athletic’s sixth and added the seventh himself.
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