Napoli crowned Italian champions, ending Maradona-era drought.

Napoli won the Italian Football League title for the third time in their history and for the first time since their late star Diego Maradona, drawing 1-1 with Udinese in the 33rd Calcio on Thursday.

Napoli owed the equalizer, enough to win their third title after 1987 and 1990, to their top scorer and Nigerian international Calcio Victor Osimhen, who equalized in the 53rd minute after Udinese scored first. Slovenian Sandy Lovrich in the 13th minute.

Napoli cemented their lead with 80 points, 16 points clear of direct rival Lazio with five stages to go.

Napoli did what they couldn’t do in the last leg when they failed to score three points to clinch the title after their direct rival Lazio lost 1-3 to Inter Milan.

And Napoli needed only a draw in today’s match, after Lazio beat their guest Sassuolo 2-0 on Wednesday, in the opening of stage 33.

The southern team, Naples, led by coach Luciano Spalletti broke a 33-year wait, especially after reaching it with his late Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona, and ended the northern teams’ dominance of the championship since that season.

At the age of 64, Spalletti became the oldest coach to win the Italian championship, breaking the record of Maurizio Sarri, who was crowned in 2020 with Juventus at the age of 61.

Source: agencies