NAPLES: Lorenzo Insigne scored twice from the penalty spot as Napoli returned to the top of the Serie A standings, level on points with equally unbeaten AC Milan, after a 3-0 home win against Bologna on Thursday.

Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring in the 18th minute at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium with a left footed shot into the top corner from outside the box that gave goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski no chance.

Captain Insigne doubled the tally from the spot in the 41st minute after a VAR decision confirmed Chilean centre-back Gary Medel had handled the ball in the area under pressure from Victor Osimhen.

Insigne, who had missed a good 15th minute chance, stepped up and fired into the bottom left corner.

Inisgne deposited his second penalty into the same corner in the 62nd minute after Ibrahima Mbaye was adjudged to have tripped Victor Osimhen.

That made up for several missed penalties by Insigne this season but there was to be no hat-trick, with the captain taken off three minutes later.

“I missed a few, but I’ve always been ready to take the penalties,” Insigne told Sky Sport Italia. “I’ve never had these problems. Only those who take penalties can miss them. Today, I was calm. But the only thing that mattered was to respond to Milan’s win [1-0 against Torino on Tuesday].”

Napoli, who are now unbeaten in 16 games at home stretching back to January, have 28 points and lead AC Milan on goal difference.

Champions Inter Milan are third, seven points off the pace.

Bologna, whose coach Sinisa Mihajlovic became a grandfather earlier in the day, dropped to 12th in the standings.

“We lost to a stronger team who would have won even without those two penalties,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2021