Napoli didn’t make things easy for themselves on the road at Juventus on Matchday 31 of the 2022/23 Serie A season, but Giacomo Raspadori’s late winner for the Partenopei has put their first scudetto in over 30 years within touching distance. A win over rivals Salernitana will see Napoli crowned Serie A champions should Lazio then fail to win away at Inter the following day.
Napoli have never won a Serie A title in their history without Diego Maradona in their side, but Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and co. are set to end that long wait this season. The city of Naples has been ready to celebrate for some time already, and plans for official celebrations are being decided upon by the club and the city council, but a sign of what is to come was seen in the early hours of Monday morning.
Following the win away at Juventus, Napoli fans decided to get the party started. With the players due to travel back south that same evening, supporters gathered in Naples to welcome them back home like heroes. Taking to the streets with flags, flares and in good voice, Partenopei supporters sang and celebrated as though the scudetto had already been sealed.
Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen dance on top of bus
Even with work still to be done to seal the title, Napoli players appear to have accepted that the scudetto is now theirs after the win in Turin. Incidentally, that triumph over Juventus saw them complete just the fourth Serie A double over the Old Lady in their history – having hammered Massimiliano Allegri’s side 5-1 in Naples earlier in the year.
Late, late into Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday morning, social media was awash with celebratory videos from Campania.
The highlights of those included star pair Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen dancing along on the top of the Napoli team bus as the squad was serenaded by supporters. One of the tunes that got the most reaction was “whoever isn’t jumping is Juventino” – a song sung in most Serie A grounds and often even when Juventus aren’t involved in the game.
Now, Napoli players will start to prepare for Salernitana and the city has seen a glimpse of what is to come when the scudetto is inevitably sealed. The party in Naples is going to continue for some time yet.
