Napoli celebrate their coronation as top-four battle builds behind them

I n Naples, they showed the world how much fun a coronation could be, with films and fireworks and a little bit of Freddie Mercury. After sealing their Serie A title in Udine on Thursday, the Partenopei came home to a party so vast that the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona could never hope to contain it.

Their game against Fiorentina was sold out, and tens of thousands more fans gathered outside the gates, knowing that, even without a ticket, there was no place they’d rather be. Inside, a sea of blue gave way during a post-game light show to the red, white, and green of the tricolore badge that Napoli will wear as champions next season.

There was no trophy presentation – that must wait for the final day – but players were called up, one by one, to be celebrated. There was a cameo, too, from the Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. He embraced the Napoli owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who was producing movies long before he made this title-winning team, and reflected that “Maradona showed us how”.

Victor Osimhen has led the way this season, and he scored the penalty – having previously missed one – that sealed a 1-0 win. In doing so, he overtook George Weah as the most prolific African player in Serie A history. Fiorentina gave Napoli a guard of honour before kick-off, but subsequently did all they could to spoil the party. Unlike their opponents, they still need points to chase their targets this season.

Serie A’s title race is over but competition for European places is more ferocious than ever. Fiorentina finished the weekend eighth, and their best hopes of qualifying for continental competition realistically now lie with either winning the Coppa Italia or the Europa Conference League, in which they have reached the