Pandev ends drought to send Napoli top

Image
AFP Florence (Italy)
Last Updated : Sep 29 2013 | 10:20 AM IST
Goran Pandev ended his recent goal drought with a first-half brace to secure a 2-0 away win at Genoa which put Napoli top of Italy's Serie A.
Ahead of the rest of the weekend fixtures, Rafael Benitez's side have a one-point lead on Roma and a three-point advantage on Inter Milan and Juventus.
Juventus face Torino away in the city derby in today's early match where Antonio Conte's men would have to win and score several goals if they are to take command of the league.
Inter face Cagliari away in one of five afternoon's games while Roma, who began the weekend top of the table with a two-point lead on their rivals, host Bologna in the late game.
Pandev had gone nine games without hitting the net since scoring against Pescara last April.
But with Benitez resting forwards Marek Hamsik and Gonzalo Higuain ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates, Pandev made the most of a rare start yesterday.
The Macedonian international opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he pounced on a poor backpass from Slovakian midfielder Juraj Kucka to beat Mattia Perrin with a clinical left-foot strike.
Pandev doubled Napoli's lead barely 10 minutes later when he finished off the good work of fellow forward Lorenzo Insigne.
With Duvan Zapata still short of full match fitness, Benitez replaced the Colombian striker with Higuain in the 59th minute, but the Argentinian international failed to threaten Perrin in the hosts' net.
Despite the prospect of Roma regaining their two-point advantage on Sunday, Benitez said: "I'm really happy because we got the win against a team that was determined and showed a lot of character and quality football.
"It's just a shame we didn't put the game beyond reach earlier with a third goal, we had the opportunities.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Sep 29 2013 | 10:20 AM IST

Next Story