Serie A: Lobotka scores after three years as Napoli beat Sassuolo 1-0

Napoli ended a run of three consecutive draws with a 1-0 win over Sassuolo in Serie A at the Diego Armando Stadium in Naples on Sunday.

Stanislav Lobotka scored his first goal in more than three years, netting a rebound in the seventh minute after Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric could only parry a shot from Eljif Elmas.

However, the victory could have come at a price. Elmas and Napoli teammate Amir Rrahmani came off injured in the second half.

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Rrahmani’s will be more worrying as it appeared to be a muscle problem in his left thigh, while Elmas felt dizzy after taking a blow to the head.

Matteo Politano also appeared to have a muscle problem in stoppage time, but stayed on – albeit with little movement – as Napoli had used up all his substitutions.

Napoli is dangerously close to the elimination zone in the Champions League and will visit Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Published on January 18, 2026