MILAN — Napoli rediscovered its scoring touch as it brushed aside Inter Milan 3-0 Friday, sending its opponents’ new coach Stefano Pioli back to the drawing board.
The result was never in doubt after Piotr Zielinski and Marek Hamsek put Napoli 2-0 ahead after six minutes. Lorenzo Insigne completed the scoring early in the second half.
Napoli had scored only 13 in its previous 11 games in all competitions and it was by far its best performance since striker Arkadiusz Milik suffered a long-term knee injury while playing for Poland in early October.
Inter had given Pioli his first win in three games as coach when it beat Fiorentina 4-2 Monday but was quickly sent back into crisis mode.
Napoli’s win took it into sixth place with 28 points, five behind leader Juventus. Inter is eighth with 21.
“Of course, this is a step backward in relation to our last game,” said a disappointed Pioli.
Bayern returns to top
It was far from convincing but Bayern Munich did enough to return to the top of the Bundesliga on goal difference with a 3-1 win at Mainz Friday.
Robert Lewandowski scored two goals against his favorite Bundesliga opponent with Arjen Robben grabbing the other as Bayern joined promoted Leipzig on 30 points. The defending champion is three goals better off before Leipzig’s game at home against Schalke Saturday.
“I’ll be relatively relaxed watching the game,” Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. “I mean it’s up to Bayern. If we keep delivering then we’ve every chance of being Bundesliga champion.”
Rummenigge’s side suffered an early setback when Jhon Cordoba fired Mainz ahead in the fourth minute.
Newcastle loses to Forest
Jamaal Lascelles’ late own goal gave Nottingham Forest a 2-1 win over Championship leader Newcastle United which had two players sent off and conceded two penalties in an extraordinary first half Friday.
Forest missed both spot kicks while Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett were dismissed for the visitors who took the lead through Matt Ritchie’s opener in first-half stoppage time.
The home team fought back to level through Nicklas Bendtner after the break before Lascelles turned a corner into his own net with four minutes remaining to give Forest a third straight win that moved it up to 13th in the table.
Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle, top with 40 points from 19 matches, two clear of Brighton and Hove Albion, has now lost two games in a row. — Agencies
