Victor Osimhen impressed as a second-half substitute, but his introduction could not change the match as goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala handed Juventus a slim 2-1 win over Napoli at the Juventus Stadium.
Osimhen played a significant role as Napoli edged the reigning champions at the Diego Maradona Stadium in February, but he could only do his bit as Andrea Pirlo’s men exacted their sweet revenge on Wednesday evening.
Federico Chiesa set up Ronaldo, and the Portuguese superstar applied the finish to give Juventus the lead after only 13 minutes as the home side made their early dominance count.
Napoli boss Gennaro Gattuso sent on Osimhen barely ten minutes after the interval as his men chased the game. Still, it was another substitute Dybala who found the back of the net to extend the Old Ladies’ lead.
But the Super Eagles striker continued to trouble the hosts’ defence, and his industry was rewarded when Napoli were awarded a penalty after Giorgio Chiellini tripped the Nigerian forward two minutes before time.
Lorenzo Insigne converted the resultant spot-kick to reduce the deficit for the visitors.
Osimhen nearly grabbed a late equaliser for Napoli, but his shot was blocked as the former Lille ace searched in vain for the goal that his performance merited.
But it was a little too late as fourth-placed Juventus go three points clear of the Partenopei on the Serie A league table.