2023-05-05 05:03:48
“Let’s celebrate all night, all week!”: Amidst rockets, fireworks and the sound of horns, Napoli exploded with joy on Thursday night, when its team won the early Italian Championshipending a 33-year wait.
“It’s incredible! It’s been a long time! Look at the weather, it’s crazy!”, exclaimed Facundo Quense (33 years old) shortly after the final whistle of the duel Udinese-Napoli (1-1), for the 33rd round of Serie A. a tie, more than 800 kilometers away, guaranteed the long-awaited third ‘Scudetto’ in mathematical terms.
For weeks it was clear that the Napoli would be champion and it only remained to know which day.
“This is a liberation. It’s something you have to live! Party, party, party! This year is crazy”, shouted Laura Curcio (25 years old), surrounded by other fans who did not stop recording videos and taking selfies to immortalize the moment.
As soon as the match ended in Udine, thousands of ‘tifosi’ were already circulating through the streets with their flags, scarves and posters, dyeing the city’s sky in blue and white, the club’s colors. The city center was the meeting point for most.
draw and relief
In the main streets of the center, many fans gathered to watch the game against Udinese on television on terraces set up in squares and in front of churches. Around 55,000 fans gathered at the Diego Maradona stadium to follow the game on big screens.
They got a scare when Udinese opened the scoring in the 13th minute, but the Victor Osimhen’s goal early in the second half brought great relief and made it 1-1.
“We’ve been waiting for a long time,” recalls Antonio De Roma, a 20-year-old student. “It’s crazy because my parents used to tell me about Maradona’s time, when he won the World Cup with Argentina and the ‘Scudetto’ with Napoli. And now I’m living it!”, he got emotional.
With a scarf on his back and a bottle of beer in his hand, in front of the Sant’Angelo a Nilo church, Alessandro De Luca (19 years old) was also enjoying the moment.
“For years now we have felt relegated to the background, behind the teams from the north. I haven’t lived the fast of 33 years, but I cried for this team, both for the defeats and for the victories. Today I am also crying”, said the student.
The dream is now reality: Napoli is back as Champion! #Naples3
???? #Go Napoli forever #EverythingForYou pic.twitter.com/HW32sfZecy
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) May 4, 2023
Under the protection of Maradona
“Football is in our DNA, we are Italian, but above all Neapolitan”, recalls Antonio Esposito, 65, under the famous giant mural dedicated to Maradona in the Spanish Quarter. “This victory is even more beautiful than the first one (in 1987). We feel that Maradona is with us and protects us,” he said.
“We won, we deserved it. Unlike other clubs, who bought the league,” he added, thanking Luciano Spalletti’s coaching staff in particular.
Like many Neapolitans, he dressed his dog in a sky blue shirt: “He’s also a fan, he follows every game”.
On the balconies and windows, the club’s colors were also very present, as has been the case in recent months.
The celebrations continue with the return of the players this Friday and then with the game on Sunday, at home, against Fiorentina.
“Naples is full of joy. It’s like Brazil, we’re crazy about football”, said Carlo Antonio Cajan (67 years old), who foresees that the party will last “fortnights or a month”.
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