Kim Min-jae gets second goal of season as Napoli beat Lazio

Football

Published: 04 Sep. 2022, 13:52

Kim Min-jae gets second goal of season as Napoli beat Lazio

Kim Min-jae heads in Napoli's opening goal during a Serie A clash with Lazio in Rome on Saturday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Kim Min-jae picked up his second goal of the 2022-23 Serie A season on Saturday, heading in the equalizer in what would prove to be a 2-1 win for Napoli against Lazio on the road at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

With the win, Napoli rise to the top of the Serie A standing with three wins and two draws in five games so far this season. The goal also means that Kim ties for second place on the Napoli goal table despite being a center back.

Lazio opened the scoring at Stadio Olimpico, taking an early lead with a goal in the fourth minute with a Mattia Zaccagni shot that appeared to pass right under Kim's foot.

The Korean defender rectified that slip up in the 38th minute as he once again proved how deadly he is in the air. Picking up a corner from Piotr Zieliński, Kim headed the ball off the post and into the goal, only for Lazio's Ivan Provedel to appear to clear the ball on the line.

As play continued, Kim appealed to the referee and a VAR review quickly revealed that the ball had been past the line when Provedel intercepted it, giving Napoli the goal and tying the score at 1-1.

Kim Min-jae, right, celebrates after scoring Napoli's first goal during a Serie A match against Lazio in Rome, Italy on Saturday. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added No. 2 for Napoli in the 61st minute, his fourth of the season.

Kim joined Napoli in July from Turkish club Fenerbahce after one year playing in the Super Lig. According to reports, Kim is under contract with Napoli until 2025, with the club retaining the option to extend the deal for two more years. Napoli paid 19.5 million euros ($20 million) to Fenerbahce to trigger Kim’s release clause, and have included a 45-million-euro release clause in his new contract.

Kim's is only the third Korean ever to play in the Italian league, but his career is already off to a stronger start than either of his predecessors — Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo.

Ahn played 30 games for Perugia in the early 2000s, but his career there was sabotaged when he scored the goal that knocked Italy out of the 2002 World Cup, while Lee made 14 appearances for Verona in the 2017-18 season, before the club was relegated out of Serie A and he was eventually relegated out of European football, returning to Korea last year without a contract.

Lee's Serie A career ended with just one goal, a record that Kim has already beaten. Ahn managed five goals across two seasons, with Kim already hot on his heels. Both Lee and Ahn play in offensive positions.

Napoli have a busy week ahead with their first Champions League group stage match against Liverpool on Wednesday, followed by a Serie A game against Spezia on Saturday.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]