Napoli 3 : 1 Parma - Napoli run continues

Posted Sunday, September 16, 2012 by PA

Napoli maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season with a comfortable 3-1 win over Parma at the Stadio San Paolo.

Walter Mazzarri's men are well fancied by some to mount a serious title challenge this campaign and have backed that up so far, winning all three of their games.

They were in control from the moment Edison Cavani netted a third-minute penalty and, with Goran Pandev and Lorenzo Insigne also on target, Marco Parolo's strike was rendered worthless.

Parma remain in the lower reaches of the table following a mixed start that has yielded three points.

They were always going to be up against it today and did not help themselves, giving Napoli an early leg-up when Antonio Kirante hacked down Pandev in the box with less than 180 seconds played.

Cavani duly stepped up and opened his league account for the season.

Iskak Belfodil attempted to lead a Parma response but was denied by Morgan de Sanctis, while Gabriel Paletta had a better chance but put a free header wide.

Napoli were determined not to waste any opportunities that came their way and Pandev nearly added a second when he fizzed in a drive that Antonio Mirante just got to, before he did hit the mark six minutes before the half-time whistle when he tucked away Marek Hamsik's pass.

Parma would make coach Roberto Donadoni's interval chat easier, though, by reducing the deficit a minute before it, with Parolo getting his head on the end of Sotirios Ninis' right-footed cross.

Buoyed by the goal Parma came out firing in the second half and Jaime Valdes took aim from distance to no effect before Napoli regained control.

Cavani narrowly failed to make it three when his header inched wide, while Gokhan Inler did the same.

The former then skimmed a drive wide of the post and the pressure eventually told when Insigne took in Pandev's pass and swept in with 13 minutes left.

The same man tried to round things off with a fourth but his shot ended closer to the corner flag than the post, and although Parma looked to make a late fist of it with some long-range efforts, they were unable to set up a nervous ending.