Napoli clinch first Serie A title in 33 years after draw with Udinese

 Napoli clinched the Scudetto on Thursday with a 1-1 draw at Udinese, securing their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years. Serie A's top scorer, Victor Osimhen, scored the equaliser in the 52nd minute to seal the victory. This is Napoli's third title in Italy's top division, with their last two coming in 1987 and 1990, led by the legendary Argentine player Diego Maradona, who the team's home stadium was renamed after following his death in November 2020.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti acknowledged Maradona's impact on the team's success and dedicated the victory to the fans. The team could have secured the title earlier, but they conceded a late equaliser in their previous match. However, they only needed a point to clinch the title, and they achieved this even after Lazio won their match against Sassuolo.

The victory sparked wild celebrations throughout Naples and beyond, with over 50,000 fans watching the match on jumbo screens at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. The celebrations were not without incident, as one man died from gunshot wounds and seven others were injured. However, the Naples Prefect confirmed that the incident had nothing to do with the celebrations.

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis expressed his joy at the team's victory, describing it as the coronation of a dream that had been going on for 33 years. He also acknowledged the long process that the team had gone through to achieve this feat. This is the first time a club from southern Italy has won the league since 2001, and Napoli has matched the record of clinching the title with five rounds to spare, shared with Torino, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, and Juventus.