Well, that’s not the result title race enthusiasts were after. But well played to Fiorentina, who took that by the scruff of the neck after Koulibaly’s – deserved, even if it took VAR to give it – red card and won in some style. Napoli just seemed shot after going behind and were never in the game at all, but the elementary errors had been there from the start. A week, they say, is a long time in football – I doubt there’ll be the reception party at the airport this week, unless any particularly bold Juventus fans are in Naples. This confirms Juve are four points clear, plus a much better goal difference, with three to play. It’s not over yet – the leaders have to go to Roma, remember – but the odds are massively stacked against Napoli now. Thanks for your company, and goodnight!
Updated
Full-time: Fiorentina 3-0 Napoli
And that’s it! Jubilation in Florence, and in the world of Juventus!
Goal! Fiorentina 3-0 Napoli (Simeone 90+3, hat-trick)
He’s got the third! It’s another seemingly simple ball down the middle, and there’s no offside given as Simeone runs through again to slot home. Reina buries his face in his shirt. Fiorentina are jubilant; what a night for them! For Napoli it’s an utter, utter choker.
Updated
90+1 min: Napoli wanted to be off this pitch as soon as the second goal went in, I’ve no doubt. Perhaps they’ve called it in a bit early here but, then again, perhaps they’re just exhausted. Did last weekend’s giddy celebrations work against them in some way, I wonder?
88 min: Chiesa breaks, and eventually can’t make much of it, but Napoli’s players were just walking back there.
85 min: Benassi goes for the spectacular from Simeone’s ball to the far post, but can’t keep it down. Fiorentina are winning the goal-attempts battle by 27-4!
84 min: Here is one more Fiorentina change – Cristoforo on for Badelj, another fine performer today.
82 min: Napoli look knackered. Everything is slow, ill-thought-out, slightly off kilter. This will feel devastating after last week.
79 min: Another card, the eighth yellow of the game I think and sixth for Napoli, as Rui chops down Eysseric.
78 min: Biraghi flashes a long-range shot wide. Napoli are done here, I’m sure.
78 min: Eysseric is booked for a foul inside the Napoli box.
77 min: Another hat-trick chance for Simeone, who has a free header 12 yards out but seems to mistime the jump and it appears to loop over off his shoulder.
76 min: Yes, for the first time we’re seeing Napoli string a couple of sustained moves together – but it ends abruptly when Insigne miscontrols a ball out of play, boots it high in the stands in frustration, and is promptly booked.
75 min: Here’s another Fiorentina change, just as Napoli threaten a modest spell of sustained pressure. Eysseric comes on for the impressive Saponara.
74 min: Callejon delivers a free-kick and Simeone concedes the corner. A rare chance for a Napoli lifeline here. They don’t take it.
72 min: Simeone, the son of Diego on the off chance you didn’t know, can’t be far from the Argentina squad on this form.
70 min: Gaspar works a cross from the right and Simeone, who is on a hat-trick now, flashes a volley just wide of the near post.
69 min: For their part Fiorentina’s fans, who are watching their team breathe fire into their Europa League charge, are making a lot of noise now.
66 min: Insigne controls on his thigh and hooks a volley well wide. This must really be hurting him.
65 min: I suspect sales of the Koulibaly pizza may be about to drop. Napoli will rue his red card here; it’s shaped the game and they just haven’t ever really been in it.
Updated
Goal! Fiorentina 2-0 Napoli (Simeone 62)
Has this handed the title to Juventus? The corner is nodded on, deflects sharply off Hysaj, half-saved by the leg of Reina and then Simeone pounces to snaffle the rebound up from a yard!
Updated
62 min: Callejon tries to nod a deep Rui cross down to a team-mate but it’s defended well ... and then Chiesa and Simeoni have a two-on-one break but Albiol slides well to cut out the former’s cross and send it behind. It came off a hand, but at point blank range. The game may well be opening up. Now a first Fiorentina change, Gaspar on for Laurini.
Updated
60 min: Another opportunity for Chiesa, who bursts through the inside-left channel but has defenders around him and eventually draws a comfortable-ish save from Reina. Milik is then booked for a foul, his first involvement since coming on.
58 min: Here, indeed, is a Napoli change and it’s Milik on for Mertens. Perhaps the Pole will offer something more physical. And there’s a second Polish introduction – Zielinski for Hamsik.
57 min: Sharp stop from Reina, who sticks out a paw to turn Chiesa’s shot around his near post. That would surely have ended the contest.
55 min: Saponara shoots off target. Will Sarri have to find a gamble from the bench here? Napoli might need to speculate.
53 min: But they really need to start putting a little spell together. Fiorentina are still dominating the ball and, really, look comfortable.
50 min: First real chance of the game for Napoli! And certainly their first shot. They come alive as Callejon diagonals one from the right and Mertens, running in, connects sweetly with a left-footed volley – only to see Sportiello save down to his left.
Updated
49 min: Laurini’s inviting cross goes above Chiesa but reaches Saponara beyond the far post. He steadies himself, before curling high and wide.
48 min: Mertens, who we really hadn’t seen up til now, sweeps a first-time pass through to Callejon but his colleague is offside.
Peeeeep! Away we go, again
This game is running very late now, largely on account of all that first-half controversy.
Ok, we’re about to get back underway. This is a *vital* half in the Serie A season. Ten-man Napoli need something ...
Half-time: Fiorentina 1-0 Napoli
Well, well. Koulibaly, last weekend’s hero, is this weekend’s villain after that early – VAR-awarded – red card and his side have struggled accordingly, going a goal down and perhaps fortunate not to have conceded more. They haven’t really managed to put anything together and, unless Sarri can work wonders at the break, Juventus will regain an iron grip on the title race.
45+3 min: I wouldn’t advocate this at all but the best chance for Napoli here is perhaps to ratchet up the niggliness and see if they can’t get the numbers levelled up before too long.
45+2 min: Reina appears to have received a blow to the rubs, perhaps when saving that Chiesa effort as the striker fell over him. He takes some treatment but should be alright.
45 min: Another chance for 2-0 goes begging, Chiesa getting in after a Saponara shot is blocked, but a combination of Reina and a defender keeping the ball out – and the game alive. Then Benassi sidefoots wide and Napoli need the whistle so much.
43 min: Now Simeone finds Benassi but, with Reina advancing and the angle near-impossible, the keeper smothers his shot.
42 min: Biraghi gets forward well before dragging wide. Napoli really need to get in at half-time and see how they can sort this out.
41 min: Badelj wins yet another dangerous free-kick after Callejon needlessly gave the ball away. Napoli look in an absolute flap currently. Veretout again puts the set-piece too high.
38 min: Saponara has acres to run into and shoots, quite tamely in the end, to Reina from 25 yards. Perhaps Jorginho should still be on?
37 min: Callejon is booked, now, and a few of the Napoli players are losing their heads a bit. Hamsik, in particular, is having strong words with the ref.
Updated
36 min: And it could be two, Benassi whipping a cross-shot beyond Simeone and past the post. Napoli are rocking.
Goal! Fiorentina 1-0 Napoli (Simeone 34)
You can hear the roars in Turin! Napoli have struggled with long, direct balls to the Fiorentina front men all game and this one, finding Simeone down the inside left channel, sees the forward advance into space before clipping coolly under Reina. How on earth do Napoli turn this around now?
Updated
33 min: Albiol is booked for an ungainly foul on Benassi. Fiorentina have another free-kick chance, a little further out than the last two. It’s lifted towards the far post but there’s a foul and the danger is over.
31 min: Hysaj does very well to reach a Hamsik ball by the right byline, and finds Insigne with a volleyed cross - but the forward miskicks after teeing himself up nicely.
29 min: Laurini crosses from the right and Simeone can’t get enough on his attempt at a glancing header. For Napoli, perhaps this is a case of keeping it goalless for a while and then going for it late on.
28 min: Fiorentina don’t look especially capable of a breakthrough although they’re very much controlling possession.
25 min: From the move that results, Napoli earn a corner – their first of the match. Can they snaffle something priceless here? Its a tricky one, and Sportiello has to paw it away from under his own crossbar. If only Koulibaly was on to attack it!
24 min: A yellow card, there, for Laurini after a foul on Insigne.
22 min: Napoli aren’t getting too much of the ball just now. Their attacking players are still on the pitch but can they get them the service from further back?
19 min: ... which Veretout, the ex-Aston Villa man, curls over.
18 min: Chiesa, who looks lively, wins Fiorentina another free-kick close to the edge of the box ...
17 min: Insigne tries a long-range shot but it’s blocked. Napoli are doing OK at the moment; it would certainly have been easy to sub a more creative player than Jorginho after the red card. Sarri knows they need to go for it, somehow.
15 min: That entire VAR farrago took three minutes or so, by the way. I’m sure we are all looking forward to the World Cup.
13 min: So while Juventus benefited from a red card yesterday, Napoli must battle one here. And they really need to win. What now?
No - not a penalty to Fiorentina. But Coulibaly sent off!
We’ve had all sorts of drama here – a VAR review has upgraded Koulibaly’s yellow card to a red, and downgraded the penalty to a free-kick, which was saved! Tonelli has come on to replace Jorginho for 10-man Napoli. What a start!
Updated
Penalty to Fiorentina
A nightmare start for Napoli! Simeone chases down the middle and goes down under the challenge of Koulibaly ... it’s a yellow card for the defender, who could have been the last man there, and a spot kick is awarded!
4 min: Reina has distributed the ball neatly a couple of times, while Insigne has tried to get one or two things going down the left. For now, though, little joy.
2 min: It’s a fairly mellow start, Napoli seeing most of the ball. Will nerves, the fear of making an error, play any part after the high of last weekend?
Updated
Peeeeep! Away we go
Can Napoli keep their challenge up?
The teams are in the tunnel, a few backs are being slapped, and we’ll be getting underway before too long ...
Imagine the celebrations if little-known Napoli – everybody’s favourite hipster side, I’ve heard! – won the league. You’d want to be there, to be fair. Today is absolutely crucial though ...
This is pretty awesome:
This is brilliant. More than 5.000 Napoli fans at Piazza Garibaldi to encourage the team before they head to Florence. 💙😍👏🏻 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/MxCFQ0MMh8
— Everything Napoli (@NaplesAndNapoli) April 28, 2018
Starting lineups
Fiorentina: Sportiello, Laurini, Pizzella, Milenkovic, Biraghi, Veretout, Badelj, Benassi, Saponara, Chiesa, Simeone.
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Rui, Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik, Callejon, Mertens, Insigne.
Kick-off is at 5pm UK time.
Updated
Hello
Serie A, eh? It’s where the drama is this season and I would say there is a fair chance of more today. Juventus’s dramatic win at Inter last night means Napoli, if they are to keep up the pressure created by their brilliant away win over the leaders, must keep on winning too – and it won’t be easy today.
That’s because they face a Fiorentina side that, until recently, had won six in a row. Their form has stalled a bit; they’ve lost their last two and drew at home with Spal before that, but it’s probably not the game you’d want in this situation and the pressure is very much on for Maurizio Sarri and company.
Can Napoli bring a thrilling conclusion to the season a step closer? Or will Fiorentina put the title firmly in Juve’s hands and render all last weekend’s celebrations a little but premature? Stay with us and see!
Updated
