While in the Champions League all Italian sides made it through to the knockout stages, there was a fear that in the Europa League there would be no Serie A teams. Luckily, Napoli managed to qualify with a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest, thanks to a very late goal by Cavani. And there was more good news for Italian sides around the world, Inter Milan were victorious in their semi-final of the World Club Cup, and they’ll be playing African champions TP Mazembe in the final of the tournament.
Napoli desperately needed a win at the Stadio San Paolo, or else they would not qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. But Steaua Bucharest came to defend with grit, staying turtled up in their own half, soaking up Napoli’s pressure, and then striking on the counter-attack. Napoli did their best, pushing well on the flanks and through the middle, eventually creating a great opportunity which Cavani put over the bar. Steaua had opportunities to score as well, and going into halftime, the two teams were fairly even.
The second half continued like the first, with Napoli slowly chipping away at the resolute Romanian side. Walter Mazzari’s team created more and more chances, with Cavani even hitting the post. The ending became more and more tense, with insults being thrown to and fro from players on the field to the ones on the benches. Both Steaua and Napoli were getting frustrated, creating goalscoring chances which weren’t finished properly or were saved by a pair of outstanding goalkeepers. Yet Napoli believed until the very end, and in the 92nd minute of the match Edinson Cavani scored what he calls, “a miracle goal”. The young Uruguayan managed to flick a corner from the near post with his head, sending Napoli through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League. Yet the tension was still high, and Paolo Cannavaro got sent off before the final whistle after receiving a second yellow card.
The other Italian sides did surprisingly well considering their previous poor form in the Europa League. Palermo defeated Lusanne Sports 1-0 away from home thanks to a late goal from Munoz, and Juventus got a good 1-1 draw against Manchester City, with some youngsters on display for the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico. Sampdoria though weren’t able to win or draw away against Debrecen, and lost 2-0. It’s nice that Napoli have managed to qualify for the round of 16, and hopefully they’ll receive a good draw and go deep in the tournament. 
Inter Milan were in Abu Dhabi, where they defeated Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0. This victory was an important one for Rafa Benitez, because the team is slowly recovering from injuries positively, especially Diego Milito who scored and assisted the other two goals. However there was a slight setback for Inter in this match; in the first minutes Wesley Sneijder received a tough tackle and had to be replaced. He won’t be able to make the final, which will be played against TP Mazembe, the first African side ever to reach the FIFA World Club Cup final.
The final is being played this Saturday, and while some don’t really consider this tournament as very important, if Rafa Benitez could manage to win it, it could be a turning point for his team. There have been many doubts over whether Benitez would stay much longer at Inter, and it seems like Massimo Moratti has calmed the voices by prasing the Spaniard regarding the team’s performance. But no matter how much praise Moratti heaps on Benitez, the president wants the coach to win this tournament, and transfer the momentum to the Serie A and Champions League campaigns.
What are your thoughts regarding Napoli’s qualification and Inter Milan’s solid win? Share your thoughts below!

Napoli Qualify For Europa League Knockout Stages - World Soccer Talk

Napoli Qualify For Europa League Knockout Stages

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The Serie A is getting more and more exciting, especially after these recent results, and the matches which will be played this Sunday. Napoli got an important 1-0 win away against Genoa, Palermo came back to beat Parma 3-1 at the Renzo Barbera, and Udinese also completed a comeback win at home, 2-1 over Fiorentina. While we had three important matches today, there’s plenty more action to come tomorrow when AC Milan travel to Bologna and then Juventus host Lazio.
Napoli defeated Genoa 1-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, and what&nbsp;separated&nbsp;the two sides was a bullet header by Marek Hamsik. It was Gargano’s free kick on the 25th minute, swung in with great pace, which Hamsik flicked wonderfully past Eduardo. Genoa created opportunities, but they weren’t able to capitalize on key chances. This win puts Walter Mazzari’s side in second place, equal on points with Lazio who will be facing fourth placed Juventus tomorrow. The bianconeri are three points behind Lazio and Napoli, so if Juve can manage to win, there will be three teams equal on points in second place.
Palermo hosted Parma at the Renzo Barbera stadium, and Parma coach Pasquale Marino was unable to see his side take the lead due to his mother’s death. It was a header by Lucarelli which hit the back of the net after a well placed corner. The first half lacked the usual inspiration which Javier Pastore provided for Palermo, and Delio Rossi eventually decided to take the Argentinean off at halftime. Instead it was the Chilean Pinilla who took his place, scoring the equalizer just five minutes into the second half, and then assisting Miccoli for Palermo’s second goal. Kasami secured the result when his header bounced off of Zaccardo’s head, and into the back of the Parma net for an own goal.
And in the third match today, Udinese came back against Fiorentina to win 2-1, and it was a match filled with wonderful goals. Santana struck first, a low, long-range effort which Handanovic had fallen asleep on allowed the visitors to take the lead. But in the second half Guidolin’s side reacted, first with Pablo Armero’s thunderbolt strike from far out, and then Di Natale’s goal which was preceded by some beautiful one-touch build-up play. An important win for Guidolin’s side which is making up for their bad start to the season, and right now Udinese are 8th in the table.
What are your thoughts regarding these matches? Plenty of exciting play, moments, and goals, and hopefully more will come tomorrow when Juventus and Lazio face off. Share your comments below!

Napoli In Second Place After Win Over Genoa - World Soccer Talk

Napoli In Second Place After Win Over Genoa

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