The 22nd round of Serie A between SSC Napoli and Cremonese was held at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy on the 13th (Korean time). In the 20th minute of the second half, with Napoli leading 1-0, Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s back-headed ball flew backwards during a corner kick. Kim Min-jae, who was on the left side of the left goalpost, threw himself into a diving header, and Victor Osimen, who was in front of the goal, kicked it with his right foot.
This is the first assist Kim Min-jae, who wore a Napoli uniform in July last year, posted on the Italian stage. Kim Min-jae, who scored heading goals against Monza in August and against Lazio in September last year, scored his third attack point (2 goals – 1 assist) in 5 months.
‘Iron Pillar’ Min-jae Kim played full-time and contributed to the team’s 3-0 scoreless victory by playing an iron wall. In the 28th minute of the first half, he cut off the opponent’s pass and escaped from the pressure. After kicking the ball with a header in the extra time of the first half, he found space behind the defense and covered it. Early in the second half, he blocked the attack with two headers. In the 16th minute of the second half, he predicted the direction of the opponent’s dribble and easily cut it off. In extra time in the second half, he blocked the opponent’s attack with a series of headers.
Napoli scored the first goal in the 22nd minute after Hvica Kravatshelia dribbled from the left flank. In the 20th minute of the second half, Osimen, the leading scorer with the help of Kim Min-jae, scored the 17th goal in the league, and in the 34th minute of the second half, Elif Elmas, who received a DiLorenzo pass, added the key goal. 스포츠토토
Napoli, which has won 6 consecutive wins, recorded 19 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss (59 points), widening the gap with Inter Milan (14 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses, 43 points), which played one less game, to 16 points. Napoli came close to winning the league 33 years after Diego Maradona played an active role in 1987 and 1990. FiveThirty Eight, an American statistics company, raised Napoli’s chances of winning from 94% to 95%. Second-placed Inter Milan have only a 4% chance of winning. Napoli, led by Kim Min-jae, is recording the least goals in the league (15 goals in 22 matches). Cremonese finished at the bottom with 8 draws and 14 losses.
According to Foot Mob, Kim Min-jae recorded 5 kicks and 7 successful aerial contests. He attempted 120 passes, more than any midfielder, with a pass success rate of 88% (106 completed). Foot Mob gave Kim Min-jae the highest rating of 8.5 for both teams and selected him as the best player in the game. Italian media Tuto Napoli said, “We hardly allowed Cremonese a chance. He assisted Osimen’s goal with a brave dying header in a stable and forward defense,” he gave a rating of 7 points.
Serie A social media Instagram created a virtual poster by selecting 12 players representing their home league as a publicity measure ahead of the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl. Along with composite photos wearing NFL costumes, Kim Min-jae and Danilo (Juventus) were selected as the ‘defense team’. On the 22nd, Kim Min-jae was ahead of the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 expedition against Frankfurt (Germany).
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae, who played for Turkiye Fenerbahce for a year from 2021, donated 100 million won to the Korean Committee for UNICEF on the 11th to help children affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Italy’s Corriere delle Sport said on the 12th, “Kim Min-jae’s amazing action. Kim Min-jae, who played for Fenerbahce, still has many friends in Turkey. A donation of 70,000 euros is for children. It is an action that shows Kim Min-jae’s great personality,” he said. “Kim Min-jae is highly evaluated both inside and outside the stadium. Not only has he made me not regret sending Callie do Koulibaly to Chelsea, but he is recognized in the locker room.”