MILAN: Napoli continued their march towards a first Serie A title in over three decades with Sunday’s 3-0 win over rock-bottom Cremonese which provisionally moved the runaway league leaders 16 points clear.

A 33-year wait for the league crown looks closer to ending with each passing week and once again Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen were the key men for Luciano Spalletti’s flamboyant team at the Stadio Maradona.

Winger wizard Kvaratskhelia set Napoli on their way with a delightful individual effort in the 22nd minute on his 22nd birthday before Osimhen’s league-leading 17th goal of the season midway through the second half and an Eljif Elmas strike 11 minutes from the end.

Thanks to a sixth straight league win Napoli will be at least 13 points ahead of Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.

Cremonese, who are still without a league win this season, remain bottom of the standings on eight points.

Juventus survived a scare in their 1-0 home win over Fiorentina after Gaetano Castrovilli’s 89th-minute leveller for the away side was ruled out for an extremely tight offside.

France midfielder Rabiot met Angel Di Maria’s exquisite cross with a header which just crossed the line in the 34th minute in Turin, his fourth Serie A goal of the season which moved Juventus up to ninth.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side are in mid-table due to the 15-point penalty inflicted last month for transfer offences, 10 points behind Lazio who currently occupy the last European place in sixth.

Juve are level on 29 points with Monza, whose dream first-ever Serie A season continued with a 1-0 win at Bologna which moved them into 10th and extended their unbeaten league run to eight matches.

Juve, Monza and Bologna are all a point behind Torino in seventh and eight-placed Udinese, whose defender Destiny Udogie scored the fastest goal of the Serie A season, 25 seconds into their 2-2 home draw with Sassuolo.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2023