Two Goals Disallowed, Napoli Finally Fallen by Ekkelenkamp’s Magic Goal

Gilabola.com – Udinese successfully beat Napoli with a narrow score of 1-0 in a tight match, decided by Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s extraordinary strike in the 73rd minute. This result was bittersweet for the Partenopei, who had previously “survived” disallowed goals twice, before finally being unable to resist the Udinese midfielder’s magical moment.

Napoli came into the match in far from ideal physical condition. Defeat in the Champions League in midweek appeared to leave him exhausted, while the injury list is getting longer. Juan Jesus followed Billy Gilmour, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table. Stanislav Lobotka and Miguel Gutierrez are available again, but only started from the bench.

In the home camp, Udinese are also missing several options, with Jordan Zemura absent after the shock defeat to Genoa, and Arthur Atta and Hassane Kamara also out of action.

Napoli’s initial opportunity came from the left. Leonardo Spinazzola went along the flank and sent a low pass which almost resulted in a goal, but Nicolò Bertola made a crucial interception which almost resulted in an own goal. From a corner kick situation, Noa Lang had a chance to continue, but his shot went over.

Udinese responded with Ekkelenkamp’s shot from the edge of the penalty box which Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was able to parry. The ball was struck by Nicolò Zaniolo, but was blocked. Jakub Piotrowski then headed the ball wide, marking a period of open play from both teams.

Entering the second half, Udinese appeared more aggressive. They managed to find the back of the net when Keinan Davis took advantage of Milinkovic-Savic’s weak rebound from Bertola’s shot, but the goal was disallowed for offside. The pressure continued when Piotrowski fired a powerful shot that hit the underside of the crossbar from the right.

Napoli actually had a golden opportunity to excel. Zaniolo failed to maximize a neat attack scheme at the far post with a shot that went wide. Not long after, he had time to celebrate the goal, but VAR canceled it after detecting Karlstrom’s foul on Lobotka in the process of attacking.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 73rd minute. Ekkelenkamp fired a curling right-footed shot from outside the penalty box which shot into the top corner of the goal. Milinkovic-Savic had no chance to block it—a goal that immediately changed the course of the match.

Napoli tried hard to equalize in the final minutes. The best opportunity came in the 88th minute when Lorenzo Lucca stabbed from the right and sent a cross, but Hojlund, who lost his balance, failed to finish from very close range. In added time, Lucca threatened again by grabbing David Neres’ cross, but his volley only hit the base of the post.

The defeat was a bitter reminder for Napoli of the razor-thin margins at the highest level, while Udinese picked up an important win thanks to discipline and one decisive moment of quality.

This match shows how fatigue and limited rotation can have a big impact on Napoli’s consistency. Udinese did not dominate absolutely, but their patience paid off through one top-class individual action. At this level of competition, effectiveness and composure at crucial moments are often the main differentiators.