It’s been a long time coming, but the celebrations in Naples following Napoli’s first Serie A title in 33 years did not disappoint, as thousands of fans filled the streets.
Not since the late, great Diego Maradona, 33 years ago have Naples tasted the glory of winning the Serie A title. But with their 1-1 draw away to Udinese last night, that long wait finally ended – with five games to spare – and the outpouring of emotion was a spectacle in itself. Thousands of fans filled the streets, flooding into the main square of Naples at Piazza Plebiscito waving flags and banners, with many climbing up lamp posts and up onto balconies. Sixty thousand fans had packed into the sold-out Diego Maradona stadium to watch the game live on giant screens as it was beamed back from Udine 500 miles away.
The atmosphere was at fever pitch ahead of kick off, with a music and light show whipping fans into a frenzy. But the atmosphere went decidedly flat after just 13 minutes when Udinese took the lead through Sandi Lovric.
Napoli were not to be outdone though, and this was their night.
Top scorer Victor Osimhen levelled in the second-half, and that was enough to secure the single point needed to secure the Serie A title and kick off crazy scenes of joy across Naples as the side amassed an unassailable 16 points lead at the top of the table with five games left. There were some ugly scenes at Udinese’s Dacia Arena at the full time whistle, but that aside it was an outpouring of emotion 33 years in the making, and it’s all testament to the ridiculous levels that Luciano Spalletti’s team have set this season.
And who doesn't love a fairy tale story such as this? While not quite on the Leicester City levels, its so refreshing to see a team triumph against adversity, to upset the status quo. Ultimately, you have to ask the question: what else in the world has the power to cause scenes like this, to evoke such raw emotion, to bring people together? Football – you've got to love it.
Enjoy, Naples...
