Raspadori is Napoli’s latest new weapon in unbeaten start

ROME: For a team that lost their captain, all-time leading scorer and defensive stalwart in the offseason, Napoli has filled in the holes masterfully. With every match, it seems, the southern club discovers a new weapon. After midfielder Piotr Zieliński shined in the attention-getting 4-1 win over Liverpool in the Champions League, reserve striker Giacomo Raspadori scored his first goal for Napoli in the 89th minute of a 1-0 victory over Spezia in Serie A on Saturday.

The last-gasp win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona moved unbeaten Napoli atop the Italian league standings, one point ahead of Atalanta, which can reclaim the lead when they host promoted Cremonese on Sunday. Defending champion AC Milan, which were playing at Sampdoria later, could also move level on points with Napoli. Napoli are chasing their first league title since Maradona led the club to their only two Serie A championships in 1987 and 1990.

Raspadori, the 22-year-old loaned from Sassuolo, started in the place of injured Victor Osimhen and coach Luciano Spalletti kept him on to the end despite substituting most of his other attacking players. Spalletti’s decision paid off when Raspadori put himself in position to redirect a cross from Hirving Lozano and fire inside the back post. “These are all starting points for me,” Raspadori said.

“I had missed two chances but I was able to remain lucid.” It was just what Napoli had in mind when they agreed to the loan deal, which requires the club to purchase Raspadori’s full rights at the end of the season for 30 million euros ($30 million). What’s more is that Raspadori became Napoli’s eighth different scorer in Serie A this season, tied for the most in the league with Inter Milan. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia,