Pro Sports

Record-signing Lozano starting to fit in at Napoli

Posted July 08, 2020 7:00 am

By ANDREW DAMPF

Napoli's Hirving Lozano celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match against Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

ROME (AP) - Small in stature and with the speed to match fellow forwards like Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne, Hirving Lozano fits right in at Napoli.

The Mexico forward ran onto a ball over the top from FabiÃ¡n Ruiz and scored the winner two minutes after he came on in a 2-1 victory at relegation-threatened Genoa in Serie A on Wednesday.

It was the exact type of goal that Mertens, Insigne and JosÃ© CallejÃ³n have made Napoli's signature play in recent years.

It was also Lozano's second goal of the restart after getting thrown out of training by Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso for a lack of dedication.

The 5-foot-9 (1.76-meter) Lozano became Napoli's most expensive player in history a year ago when he was signed from PSV Eindhoven for a club record 42 million euros ($46.5 million).

After a difficult start to the season that coincided with Gattuso replacing Carlo Ancelotti, Lozano is starting to show he can be a worthy substitute for Mertens, whom he replaced in the second half at the Luigi Ferraris stadium.

However, Napoli's all-time leading scorer Mertens remains the first choice at center forward and the Belgium international showed why when he curled a shot from the edge of the area into the bottom corner to put Napoli ahead in first-half added time.

Shortly after the break, Edoardo Goldaniga equalized for Genoa with a header.

Freshly crowned Italian Cup champion Napoli has lost only one match of the restart. This win meant the Partenopei reclaimed fifth place from AC Milan, which stunned Juventus 4-2 on Tuesday.

'œWe're doing well and I'³m satisfied with the team but I want even more of a competitive mentality,'ť Gattuso said. 'œYou don't get anywhere with technical skills alone. Soccer is made up of a lot of components, both physical and mental.'ť

Genoa remained one point from safety.

Also, Fiorentina was held 0-0 at home by Cagliari.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf

Napoli's Hirving Lozano gets ready to shoot the ball during a Serie A soccer match against Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso makes remarks on the sidelines during a Serie A soccer match against Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Napoli's Elseid Hysaj Dries Mertens celebrates after scoring during a Serie A soccer match against Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Tano Pecoraro/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Fiorentina's Federico Chiesa, left, competes for the ball while under pressure from Cagliari's Charalampos Lykogiannis during a Serie A soccer match at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Florence, Italy, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. (Jennifer Lorenzini/LaPresse via AP) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.