Beaten 2-0 by Juventus on 2 November in Serie A, Napoli have few reasons to be cheerful. Cameroon midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, one of the few Napoli players to emerge with credit according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, was replaced in the 79th minute.
Napoli have suffered another setback. On Juventus’s pitch on 2 November, the Naples club went down 2-0 in Serie A, reports Areanapoli. A night that leaves few reasons for satisfaction, except in midfield: according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was one of the few Napoli players to emerge with credit from the defeat.
Yet the Cameroon international midfielder did not finish the match. Replaced in the 79th minute by Brazilian Giovane, he reportedly did not take the substitution well, according to the behind-the-scenes account reported by Areanapoli: the player wanted to stay on the pitch. Nothing in this version is official.
A tackle that sparks debate
The other talking point of the night concerns refereeing. In the 11th minute, Teun Koopmeiners went in mid-shin on Anguissa without being punished. Referee Simone Sozza was heavily criticised for not sending off the Juventus player, report Tribuna and OneFootball/Juventusnews24.
The Cameroonian received treatment twice during the first half after that tackle, according to bongda24h.com.
A leader rediscovered for Allegri
Beyond that night in Turin, Areanapoli presents Anguissa as one of the leaders Allegri has rediscovered ahead of Napoli’s trip to Porto in the Champions League. A status that contrasts with the club’s run of disappointing results, with the team called upon to respond on the European stage.
The Cameroon midfielder’s performance against Juventus, highlighted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, fits that pattern: in a struggling team, he is one of the few positives noted by the Italian press. The tackle he suffered as early as the 11th minute did not stop him from staying on until the 79th.
Porto in their sights
Napoli have no time to dwell. According to Areanapoli, Allegri’s men must respond in the Champions League after a run of disappointing results. That European fixture will take place at FC Porto on Wednesday 4 November.
As for Anguissa, the specialist site ranks him among the team’s rediscovered leaders before the trip to Portugal.