All the pre-game talk was about Victor Osimhen and apparent issues between the Nigerian striker and his employers, but he and his teammates looked to have put any feud aside as Napoli got off to a positive start. Piotr Zieliński had a great opportunity to open the scoring, although the Polish midfielder skied his effort.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, last season’s SA MVP, has got off to a sluggish start this season, but he looked up for it on this occasion. First, he fashioned a chance that flew inches wide of the post before later drawing a foul in the box which, following a VAR review, resulted in a penalty.
From the spot, Zieliński made no mistake to give his side the lead inside 20 minutes.
Kvaratskhelia tormented the Udinese defence throughout the first half, creating chances for his teammates and for himself, but Marco Silvestri stood strong between the visitors’ sticks, preventing Napoli from adding to their advantage.
However, the Italian goalkeeper’s resolve was finally broken in the 39th minute when Matteo Politano unlocked the Bianconeri defence.
His deft pass found the unmarked Osimhen, who slotted the ball beyond Silvestri to send Rudi Garcia’s side into the break two to the good.
Napoli picked up where they left off after the interval and continued to probe the Udinese backline, and Osimhen came close to adding a third, fizzing his shot narrowly wide after a stunning pass from Stanislav Lobotka.
Having not scored in his last 18 games for the Partenopei, Kvaratskhelia was clearly trying to end that drought, but the Georgian was twice denied by the woodwork, hitting both posts as he struggled to contain his frustration.
That anger, though, soon turned into joy as the 22-year-old finally got his goal in the 74th minute. Pressing high up the pitch, he dispossessed Jaka Bijol, ran into the box and superbly dinked the ball over the onrushing Silvestri before firing into an empty net.
Udinese pulled a goal back in the 81st minute through Lazar Samardžić, but any hope of a comeback was swiftly ended as Giovanni Simeone headed in from Kvaratskhelia’s cross.
The remaining minutes were a formality for Garcia’s men as they secured just their third win in six SA games this campaign, whilst Udinese are still searching for their first triumph of the season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
