Napoli, which remained the only undefeated team in the top five leagues of European football this season, suffered its first defeat. It has been 16 games since the start of the league.
Napoli, the team belonging to Kim Min-jae (27), 안전놀이터 allowed opponent striker Edin Dzeko (37) the winning goal in the 2022-2023 season Italian Serie A visit against Inter Milan on the 5th and lost 0-1. It was the first defeat of Napoli, which continued its 11-game winning streak with 15 consecutive undefeated matches (13 wins, 2 draws) from the league opening in August of last year to the previous day. With Napoli’s defeat on this day, the undefeated team in the top 5 European football leagues this season has disappeared. Paris Saint-Germain, the leader of the French Ligue 1, went undefeated in 16 consecutive matches (14 wins, 2 draws) after the opening, but lost 1-3 to Lens on the 2nd. Napoli led the league with 41 points, but the gap with second place AC Milan (36 points) narrowed to 5 points. Inter Milan (33 points) rose to 4th place.
Kim Min-jae, who started as a left central defender on the 5th, played full-time. It is a full-time appearance in 10 consecutive league games. Kim Min-jae faced Inter Milan’s right striker Romelu Lukaku (30) several times. Blocked by Kim Min-jae’s defense, Lukaku recorded only one shot until he was replaced in the 19th minute of the second half. According to whoscored.com, a soccer statistics site, Kim Min-jae recorded 3 successful tackles and clearings, the most in the team. Kim Min-jae, who touched the ball 101 times, the most in Naples, recorded a pass success rate of 90%.
When Inter Milan was blocked by Kim Min-jae, they attacked the right center of Napoli, guarded by Amir Rahmani (29). In the 11th minute of the second half, in a counterattack situation, Zeko pierced the Napoli goal with a header. Inter Milan, trying to continue the offensive, replaced Lukaku with Lautaro Martinez (26), but Martinez was also blocked by Kim Min-jae’s defense and could not record a shot.