Rome (AFP) - Rome imposed a fatal draw on its host, Napoli, 1-1, on Monday, in the thirty-third stage of the Italian Football League, thus providing a service to the leaders Milan and its neighbor, Inter, the defending champion. Fiorentina 2-3, and strengthened its chances of competing for the title for the first time since 1990, by leading the capital club from the first minutes of a penalty kick by Lorenzo Insigne until stoppage time, before substitute Stephan El Shaarawy snatched the equalizer and spared the team of Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho the first defeat in the match. The last 12 stages, specifically since stage 21, when it fell at home to Juventus 3-4.

And after Milan, the leaders, beat Genoa 2-0 and its neighbor Inter beat Spezia 3-1 on Friday at the opening of the stage, Napoli found itself required to win in order to stay in the heart of the struggle for the title, especially after falling in the last stage, but it settled for a draw to become 4 behind. Points for the “Rossoneri” and two points for the defending champion, who also has a postponed match.

This tie is certainly a disappointment for coach Luciano Spalletti against his former team, but he has five stages left to try to compensate with the hope that Milan and Inter will stumble. (1-1), as it remained in front of the capital club in the last fourth place that qualifies for the European Champions League, by five points, five stages before the end of the season.

And Rome will be the only remaining team for Italy in the three continental competitions by qualifying for the semi-finals of the “Conference League”, where it will meet Leicester City, England, on the 28th of the current round and the fifth of May back in the capital, facing another difficult task next Saturday when it is a guest on Inter in “ San Siro". And Napoli started the match in the best way by winning a penalty kick that Mexican Hirving Lazano snatched from Brazilian Rodger Ibanez. The referee was late in deciding it and resorting to "VAR", but decided in the end to count it and Insigne executed it successfully (11).

This goal gave the morale boost to Spalletti's men, who were close to a second goal from a double chance for Nigerian Victor Osimhin, who shot in defense, then Lazano, who followed the ball from a narrow angle. Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio shone in blocking it (20). The two halves, while he was at the same distance from his host, following a free kick carried out by Lorenzo Pellegrini, so Osmihin turned the ball with his head and almost deceived his goalkeeper Alex Merritt, but the crossbar deputized for the latter and saved the situation (40). Napoli started the second half by pressing its guest, but without danger, rather it was Roma came close to equalizing through Pellegrini, but Merritt was in the right place to deal with the ball, which was shot from a difficult angle (57).

Roma got another chance through Englishman Tammy Abraham, but he failed to head it into the net even though he was in an ideal position to score (61), then Gianluca Mancini followed it up with a header that passed next to the left post (66). Al-Qaim (70) and North Macedonian Elif Elmas brilliantly blocked by Patricio (72). Roma demanded a penalty kick after Merritt interfered with the intruder Nicolo Zaniolo, but the referee demanded to continue playing without consulting the "VAR", which angered Mourinho and the substitutes of the capital club, what It led to the expulsion of Brazilian reserve goalkeeper Daniel Fuzato (78). Mourinho was not satisfied with the arbitration, telling the "Dazon" streaming platform, "Roma demands the right to allow him to try to win matches... It seems impossible to obtain a positive result."

He continued, "I read something written by a responsible person who said that the league title will be decided if the referees make mistakes against the three clubs competing for the title. Well, I say that the league can also be decided if mistakes are made in favor of the teams competing for the title." Osimhin managed to deliver the fatal blow to the “wolves” team from a quick counterattack after a long and elaborate pass from Elmas, but the Nigerian hit the side netting (80). 1 + 90). And it seems that El Shaarawy, who entered the 75th minute, has become a specialist in the goals of the last seconds, as all his three goals in the league this season came after the 90th minute (against Sassuolo 2-1 in the 90 + 1 minute in the third stage and against Milan In the eleventh stage, 1-2 in the minute 3 + 90). And after he was a contender for the title after more than 25 stages had passed, Atalanta became threatened even with continental non-participation next season by receiving a third successive defeat, this time at home against Hellas Verona with two goals by Federico Ceccherini ( 2+45) and Dutchman Ton Kopemainers (55 by mistake in his own goal), compared to a goal by Giorgio Scalvini (82).

The balance of the coach’s team, along with Yero Gasperini, who left Thursday the “Europa League” competition, was frozen by losing at home to German Leipzig, 0-2, in the first leg, after a 1-1 tie, at 51 points in eighth place, 7 points ahead of fifth Roma and 5 from Fiorentina and Lazio. sixth and seventh respectively.