Serie A: Gonzalo Higuain double helps Napoli stay in touch with leaders
(CNN) -- Gonzalo Higuain scored his first Serie A goals since October as third-placed Napoli earned a morale-boosting 4-2 win at La...
http://elem2015.blogspot.com/2013/12/serie-gonzalo-higuain-double-helps.html
(CNN) -- Gonzalo Higuain scored his first Serie A goals since October as third-placed Napoli earned a morale-boosting 4-2 win at Lazio on Monday.
Higuain has struggled to
match his feats at Real Madrid since joining from the Spanish club in a
reported $55 million deal in July, but he netted in each half to put the
Naples side within three points of second-placed Roma and six of leader
Juventus.
The Argentina striker put
Napoli ahead in the 24th minute at Rome's Stadio Olimpico but an
own-goal from teammate Valon Behrami less than 60 seconds later leveled
the score.
Fellow forward Goran
Pandev made it 2-1 five minutes after the break, and Higuain -- who also
had a first-half effort disallowed for offside -- extended the lead in
the 72nd minute with his seventh goal in Italy's top flight this season.
Striker Keita Balde Diao
pulled one back on 88, but Higuain's fellow former Real star Jose Maria
Callejon sealed the win with his seventh goal in the league.
It helped boost Napoli
ahead of this weekend's home match against Udinese and next week's
must-win European Champions League Group F clash with Arsenal.
The defeat left Lazio in ninth place, 20 points behind champion Juve.
The Turin side suffered a
setback Monday with the news that key midfielder Andrea Pirlo will next
week's Champions League Group B decider at Galatasaray after suffering a
knee injury in Sunday's 1-0 win against Udinese.
Juve needs a point to qualify for the knockout stage in second place behind Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina
stayed fifth in Serie A after Monday's 4-2 win at home to 10-man Verona,
with the score 2-2 inside 15 minutes.
Borja Valero netted two of those to level for La Viola, who then went ahead through Juan Vargas just before halftime.
Verona had Serbia
midfielder Bosko Jankovic sent off in the 54th minute, allowing Giuseppe
Rossi to net his leading 12th goal in 14 league games, while
Brazil-born Italy Under-21 international Jorginho ensured a nervous
finish when he reduced the deficit on 72.
It left Fiorentina behind fourth-placed Inter Milan on goal difference, with Verona five points adrift in sixth.