Napoli seals Serie A title in thrilling fashion, making a Scotsman the city’s unlikely hero
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — Napoli sealed its fourth ever Serie A title in thrilling fashion on Friday, defeating Cagliari 2-0 to pip rival Inter Milan to the Scudetto by just one point.
Goals from Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku either side of halftime propelled Napoli to the win, prompting the city to empty out onto the streets, the night air filling with fireworks, thick red smoke, glowing sparklers, flags, cheers and dancing, euphoric fans.
Going into its final game, Napoli held a one-point lead over Inter Milan at the top of the table. The title was within its grasp but there was no room to slip up – only a win would guarantee the club the Scudetto.
Across the country, in Lombardy, Inter took an early lead against Como through Stefan de Vrij’s header. Despite enjoying all the early chances against Cagliari, Napoli briefly fell behind in the title race. The tension inside the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium – named for Napoli’s greatest ever player – ratcheted up a notch.
This season, McTominay has emerged as a new, unlikely folk hero at Napoli. Surpassing all expectations of him when he joined over the summer from Manchester United, the Scottish midfielder has dragged Napoli to the title and was named the league’s MVP for his efforts.
So, it was fitting that McTominay gave Napoli the lead just before halftime on Friday with a brilliant scissor kick from Matteo Politano’s cross. That goal ensured he finished the league campaign with 18 goal contributions, the most from any midfielder in their debut Serie A season, per Sky Sports.
The people of Naples have embraced McTominay as one of their own, giving him the nickname “McFratm,” which loosely translates as “McBro.”
Then, five minutes after halftime, Lukaku found himself on the receiving end of a long, speculative kick downfield, weaved his way past two Cagliari defenders and slotted the ball into the net for a spectacular individual effort.
Napoli held on for the win and fireworks began exploding in the city around the stadium as soon as the final whistle was blown.
On the pitch, the players threw their manager Antonio Conte into the air. Since taking charge of the club last July, he has turned around its fortunes, taking it from a 10th place finish last season to its second title in three years.
In the process, Conte made history, becoming the first coach to win Serie A titles with three different teams, adding this one to sit alongside those he won with Juventus and Inter Milan as well as his Premier League title with Chelsea.
“When we got to the stadium, it was honestly difficult to get in, as I don’t know how many people were there,” Conte told reporters, per Reuters, before his press conference was interrupted by singing Napoli players.
“I had a slight thought, if we let these people down, it’d be something we carried with us for a long time.”
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