By Anna Italia
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37% Ball Possession NAPOLI and 63% Ball Possession INTER
Napoli 2 – 2 Inter 
51′ Marek Hamsik 72′ Rodrigo Palacio
63′ Gonzalo Higuain 87′ Mauro Icardi (pen)
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Napoli, 3rd position with 45 points and a positive goal difference of +13
Inter, 9th position with 35 points and a positive goal difference of +7
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Napoli | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 44:31 | 13 | 45 |
| 9 | Inter | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 39:32 | 7 | 35 |
Napoli failing big time to shorten the distance with AS Roma . Napoli had the victory up to the 87th minute when Inter changed the movie script to equalize the score. It’s almost an all Argentinian duel match with Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain vs Inter forwards Rodrigo Palacio and Mauro Icardi …. plus Napoli Argentinian goalkeeper Mariano Andujar too….
The first half ending 0-0.
It seems Napoli coach Rafael Benitez delivered a strong pep talk during half time. Napoli returning to dominate Inter. In the 51st minute with medifielder Marek Hamsik defeating Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic with a headed shot in the bottom left corner. The assist is by defender Henrique. It’s the 5th goal this season by Hamsik.
Far from Inter reacting, there it is Napoli again. Second goal of the match in the 63rd minute with forward Gonzalo Higuain defeating goalkeeper Handanovic with a right footed shot in the bottom right corner. Guess who did the assist? Yep… Marek Hamsik! Surely, the constant support from the fans at the San Paolo Stadium is motivating the players to claim the victory. It’s the 13th goal for Higuain in this season.
Talking about reaction, Inter shortening the distance in the 72nd minute. It is forward Rodrigo Palacio to give hope to the nerazzurri. Palacio defeating Napoli goalkeeper Mariano Andujar with a right footed shot in the center. The assist is by midfielder Fredy Guarin.
Whats happening to Napoli? Losing control,…. referee Rocchi giving a penalty to Inter. Penalty conceded by Napoli defender Henrique after a foul on forward Rodrigo Palacio. This is the second yellow card to Henrique making it an automatic Red Card…. Napoli remaining with 10 players. It is Argentinian forward Mauro Icardi to convert the penalty defeating goalkeeper Andujar with the classic “Cucchaio”. It’s the 15th goal by Icardi this season.
Here is NAPOLI official starting lineup by coach Rafael Benitez:
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Andujar; Henrique, Albiol, Koulibaly, Strinić; Inler, David López; Callejón, Hamšík, Mertens; Higuaín.
Here is INTER official starting lineup by coach Roberto Mancini:
Inter (4-3-1-2): Handanović; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus, Santon; Guarin, Medel, Brozović; Shaqiri; Palacio, Icardi.
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Stats AFTER the game. Top scorer for NAPOLI: Forward Gonzalo Higuain with 13 goals
Top scorer for INTER: Forward Mauro Icardi with 15 goals
| Napoli | Goals | Goals | Inteer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higuain, Gonzalo | 13 | 15 | Icardi, Mauro |
| Callejon | 9 | 5 | Kovacic, Mateo |
| Zapata, Duvan | 5 | 5 | Guarin, Fredy |
| Hamsik, Marek | 5 | 5 | Osvaldo, Pablo Daniel |
| de Guzman, Jonathan | 3 | 4 | Palacio, Rodrigo Sebastian |
Click the video to watch NAPOLI 2 – 2 INTER highlights including all goals by Marek Hamsik, Gonzalo Higuain, Rodrigo Palacio, and Mauro Icardi.
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of NAPOLI: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 lost
| 04/03/15 | CI | Lazio – Napoli | 1:1 | Semifinal | |||
| 01/03/15 | SA | Turin – Napoli | 1:0 | Round 25 | |||
| 26/02/15 | UELK | Napoli – Trabzonspor | 1:0 | Round 1 |
Here are the last 3 games of INTER: 2 wins, 1 lost
| 01/03/15 | SA | Inter – Fiorentina | 0:1 | Round 25 | |||
| 26/02/15 | UELK | Inter – Celtic | 1:0 | Round 1 | |||
| 23/02/15 | SA | Cagliari – Inter | 1:2 | Round 24 |
Disciplinary Situation BEFORE the game. No suspended players
Photo: facebook.com/SSCNapoli
Inter forward Rodrigo Palacio shortening the distance for the 2-1.
Inter forward Mauro Icardi resulting a “hero” for Inter fans rescuing one point after converting the penalty to equalize the 2-2 draw….
2014 – 2015 Italian Serie A Week 26
Napoli 2 – 2 Inter
Sunday 8 March 2015
San Paolo Stadium
Naples, Italy
20:45
Referee: ROCCHI
Assistants: COSTANZO – MELI
Fourth Official: PETRELLA
ADD1: GERVASONI
ADD2: CERVELLERA
Goals: 51′ Marek Hamsik (N), 63′ Gonzalo Higuain (N), 72′ Rodrigo Palacio (I), 87′ Mauro Icardi (pen)(I)
Official formations – lineups:
Napoli (4-2-3-1): Andujar; Henrique, Albiol, Koulibaly, Strinić; Inler, David López; Callejón, Hamšík, Mertens; Higuaín.
Subs.: Rafael, Colombo, Britos, De Guzman, Jorginho, Mesto, Zuniga, Gabbiadini, Ghoulam, Zapata.
Coach.: Rafael Benítez.
Inter (4-3-1-2): Handanović; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Juan Jesus, Santon; Guarin, Medel, Brozović; Shaqiri; Palacio, Icardi.
Subs.: Carrizo, Andreolli, Kovacic, Podolski, Campagnaro, Vidic, Kuzmanović, Obi, Dodò, Felipe, Pușcaș, Hernanes.
Coach.: Roberto Mancini.
Match Stats
| Napoli | Match Stats | Inter |
| 2 | Goals | 2 |
| 17 (7) | Shots (on goal) | 13 (5) |
| 16 | Fouls | 19 |
| 5 | Corner kicks | 5 |
| 6 | Offsides | 2 |
| 37% | Ball Possession | 63% |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 1 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 3 | Saves | 5 |