Napoli storm to win Serie A title after 33 years

Napoli became the first European top-five league side to win the title on Thursday, as they tied with Udinese 1-1 away, which was enough for the Partenopei to secure the Scudetto with five rounds to spare, reported Xinhua.

Having waited for 33 years, Napoli eventually embraced their third Serie A championship with 80 points after 33 rounds, 16 points ahead of second-placed Lazio. The last time the southern city won the championship of the top flight came in 1990, led by the late Diego Maradona.

"Seeing the Neapolitan people celebrate is a feeling impossible to put into words. You feel their passion and their love on your skin and you feel the responsibility that comes with this special jersey. These people have given me the greatest joy today," said Napoli's head coach Luciano Spalletti.

More than 10,000 Napoli fans visited Dacia Arena on Thursday, while over 50,000 watched the game through the screens at the home stadium Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Boosted by the electric atmosphere, Napoli were aggressive from the start, but they found themselves on the back foot in the 13th minute as Sandi Lovric unleashed a curler that flew into the corner.

The away side finally unlocked the defense in the 52nd minute when Serie A top scorer Victor Osimhen equalized with a follow-up.

After the final whistle, the stadium burst into cheers and the fans poured onto the pitch to celebrate with the players.

"This is a day that I'll never forget as long as I live. Our fans have waited so many years for this Scudetto, and we're proud to have brought it back to Naples," Osimhen said.

Elsewhere, Bologna were unfortunate as they scored an own goal in the opening seconds and saw two goals disallowed, which made them suffer a 3-1 away defeat to Empoli.