Inter Milan end Napoli's unbeaten run with 1-0 win at San Siro

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, left, kicks the ball by Napoli's Kim Min-jae during a Serie A match at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy on Wednesday. [AP/YONHAP]

After 16 games of Serie A football, the unbeatable Napoli SSC have finally been beaten.

Napoli lost 1-0 to Inter Milan at San Siro in Milan on Wednesday, ending an unbeaten run in the domestic league that began in April and included every game so far this season.

The 1-0 loss came from a thumping 56th minute header from Edin Dzeko a disappointing way to concede for a team that has boasted formidable defense throughout the season.

The loss does little to really hurt Napoli, however, as the Partenopei still sit five points clear at the top of the table with 13 wins, two draws and now one loss to their name.

The bigger concern will be what happens next.

Prior to the long World Cup break, Napoli had lost just one game across all competitions, to Liverpool in the second leg of Champions League game in early November.
Since the World Cup break, Napoli have lost two straight games: A surprising 4-1 friendly loss to French LOSC Lille a couple of weeks ago and the Inter game on Wednesday.

The Lille game could be blamed on a weakened squad looking for a warmup game with many of the biggest names still absent, but that same excuse doesn’t work for the Inter match. Instead, it suggests that there may be some cracks starting to appear for Napoli.

Korean center-back Kim Min-jae had a solid outing, although he struggled to contain Belgian star Romelu Lukaku on occasions. Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo seemed to struggle more at the back, often losing control of Federico Dimarco and Robin Gosens.

But a single loss, even if it’s your first, is no real reason for concern. One header is unlikely to upset Napoli too much, although they will be keen to pick up a win against Sampdoria on Jan. 8 to get things back on track.

Wednesday’s game was also Napoli’s first Korean fintech company Dunamu are the new shirt sponsor, with the logo of the company’s cryptocurrency exchange Upbit appearing below the number on the back of the Partenopei uniform.

Dunamu’s decision to sponsor Napoli is likely a reaction to the remarkable success of Kim, who has already been named Serie A player of the month twice, since his arrival in Italy in August. Kim’s achievements have seen legions of Korean fans flocking to the Partenopei banner.

Napoli will take on Sampdoria in the evening of Jan. 8, or at 2 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 9 in Korea.

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