After helping beat Liverpool, Napoli’s Llorente shines again
ROME (AP) — Fernando Llorente’s free transfer to Napoli is paying large dividends.
The Spanish striker scored two goals and set up another in a 4-1 win at promoted Lecce in Serie A on Sunday — five days after also playing a part in both goals of Napoli’s 2-0 victory over titleholder Liverpool in the Champions League.
Not bad for a 34-year-old cast aside by Champions League runner-up Tottenham when his contract expired at the end of last season.
“He certainly made a good impression,” Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “I liked the way he played alongside Arkadiusz Milik and their positioning. The first goal also came from a Milik shot, so we’ve got a lot of variety to choose from in attack.”
Receiving his first start since joining Napoli on deadline day, Llorente was ready and well positioned when a shot from Milik ricocheted into his path, using one touch to put the Partenopei ahead midway through the first half.
Then Napoli was awarded a penalty when Panagiotis Tachtsidis used his arm to clear a cross from Llorente.
Lorenzo Insigne’s first effort from the penalty spot was saved but goalkeeper Gabriel was adjudged to have stepped off his line too early and Insigne smashed his second shot into the top corner.
Eight minutes from time, Llorente got his second with a rebound of a shot from Insigne.
Fabian Ruiz also scored for Napoli after the break with a blistering effort from beyond the area, before Marco Mancosu pulled one back for Lecce with a penalty.
Napoli moved up to third, three points behind perfect Inter Milan and one point behind eight-time defending champion Juventus.
MORE RACISM
Fiorentina fullback Dalbert Henrique became the third player targeted with racist chants in Serie A this season.
The offensive chants prompted a brief suspension during the first half of a 2-2 draw at Atalanta.
Toward the half-hour mark, Dalbert stopped and glared at the direction where the chants appeared to come from, and he then spoke to the referee.
An address over the loudspeaker, warning that the match would not resume until the chants stopped, was met with whistles from the crowd.
Once the crowd calmed down, the match resumed after a break of several minutes.
Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku and AC Milan’s Franck Kessie have also been targeted by racist chants this season but no club has been punished by the league judge.
Federico Chiesa and Franck Ribery scored for Fiorentina before Josip Ilicic and Timothy Castagne replied for Atalanta in the final minutes.
KOLAROV’S FREE KICKS
Roma is fourth, one point behind Napoli, after beating Bologna 2-1 with a stoppage-time header from Edin Dzeko.
Fullback Aleksandar Kolarov scored Roma’s opener with a free kick, giving him six goals in the Italian league from direct free kicks in his three seasons with the Giallorossi.
Only Lionel Messi has scored more from free kicks, with 12, in the same period across Europe’s top five leagues.
Bologna equalized temporarily with a penalty from Nicola Sansone.
OTHER RESULTS
Sassuolo beat Spal 3-0 with a brace from Francesco Caputo in an Emilia-Romagna derby, and Sampdoria defeated Torino 1-0 with a close-range goal from Manolo Gabbiadini.
