Napoli’s Coppa Italia journey came to an abrupt halt in the round of 16 as Frosinone delivered a resounding 4-0 defeat on Napoli’s home turf.
The tide turned in the second half, with swift goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Giuseppe Caso propelling Frosinone, a team new to the round of 16, ahead. Giovanni Simeone’s first-half goal for Napoli was disallowed due to a handball in the buildup, leaving the hosts reeling.
Napoli seemed stunned, allowing Frosinone, currently positioned 13th in the top league, to extend their lead in stoppage time. Walid Cheddira converted a penalty after Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s foul on Francesco Gelli, followed by Abdou Harroui’s goal, compounding Napoli’s woes.
Barrenechea’s initial goal, a header from a corner, occurred just two minutes after Napoli’s manager, Walter Mazzarri, introduced Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Mazzarri commented post-match, saying, “Incredibly, we did better with the lads who don’t play as often. We need to reflect on that.”
“I want to apologise to the fans,” Mazzarri continued. “I do not like the way we ended the match and we will reflect on it together tomorrow … Even when you are 2-0 down, you still have to remember you are Napoli. It is not acceptable to end a game like that.”
“Even when 2-0 down with 10 minutes to go, a goal could open it all up again,” Mazzarri reflected. “Instead, we just lost our heads. Maybe it was making two big mistakes for the goals that got to us. It’s a pity, you can lose in football, but not 4-0. We looked like everyone was just doing their own thing.” he concluded.
Napoli performance and stats
Napoli is currently 5th in the Serie A with 27 points.
In the last 16 games, it has won 8 times, drawn 3 times, and lost 5 times. In its last match, Napoli won 2-1 against Cagliari.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 28 goals and conceding 19.
Napoli will play the next match in Serie A against Roma on Saturday 23rd of December in Roma. The prediction is Napoli winning the match.
Frosinone performance and stats
Frosinone is currently 13th in the Serie A with 19 points.
In the last 16 games, it has won 5 times, drawn 4 times, and lost 7 times. In its last match, Frosinone lost 2-1 against Lecce.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 21 goals and conceding 26.
Frosinone will play the next match in Serie A against Juventus on Saturday 23rd of December in Frosinone. The prediction is Juventus winning the match.