Welcome to May! I’m Mike Goodman bringing you your Golazo Starting XI Newsletter as the calendar turns. Today we’ve got Napoli not clinching a title and the Women’s Champions League semifinals wrapping up. Let’s get to it
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📺 Footy fix
All times U.S./Eastern.
Monday, May 1
🇪🇺 UWCL: Arsenal vs. Wolfsburg, 12:45 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴 EPL: Leicester vs. Everton, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇧🇷 Brasileirão: Vasco da Gama vs. Bahia, 7 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Golazo Network
Tuesday, May 2
🏴 EPL: Arsenal vs. Chelsea, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇪🇸 La Liga: Barcelona vs. Osasuna, 1:303 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 Concacaf Nations League: LAFC vs. Philadelphia Union, 10 p.m. ➡️ FS1
⚽ The Forward Line
Scudetto delayed for Napoli
Getty Images
The city of Naples will have to wait at least a few more days before it exploded with joy. It was all lined up for a party on Sunday. Mount Vesuvius was closed. The State Department had issued a travel warning. The match was moved from Saturday to Sunday so that all of Naples could wait for their team to win and then erupt (Vesuvius pun 100% intended) in celebration. This was the moment. The soccer gods, or Salernitana journeyman Boulaye Dia to be specific, didn’t cooperate.
A late equalizer gave Salernitana a 1-1 draw in Naples, which means the Scudetto will likely be clinched this week away from home with Udinese on tap Thursday. And you’d be forgiven for thinking that perhaps Napoli choked away the first of their many opportunities to clinch the crown away. After all, while Salernitana aren’t exactly relegation fodder, they’re currently sitting in 14th place with 34 points and have not lost since February, they’re not exactly a side that Napoli should have a problem brushing aside.
But honestly, Napoli didn’t really have a problem with Salernitana. They dominated the match. They had a whopping 73% of the ball. They took 24 shots to Salernitana’s five. The expected goal (xG) total was 1.65 to 0.28 for the underdogs. So while it took 62 minutes for the original breakthrough to come, it never seemed particularly in doubt that it would. Napoli were dominating the game and were up a goal, and the party was just getting started.
But some days, fate intervenes. Take nothing away from Dia, who hit the unlikely curler that delayed the inevitable. He beat his man on the right flank and hit a remarkable curling effort from the side of the box around a massed Napoli defense, depositing it perfectly in the far corner. This is a player who scored double-digit goals only twice in his career and has bounced from Reims to Villarreal to Salernitana. Generally speaking, he’s been pretty unremarkable. If he’s going to do that, then it’s mostly just a sure sign that it’s not your day.
Napoli’s day will come — whether it’s Thursday or this weekend or next week. The Scudetto is theirs. And whenever it happens, the celebrations in Naples will be a sight to behold (though perhaps best to do that beholding from a safe distance), but Sunday served as a reminder of just how fickle the soccer gods can be and just how tremendous an accomplishment winning a Scudetto will be for Napoli. Winning a championship is about being the best team, but it’s not just about being the best team. Napoli have dominated all season, but fate has demanded they wait a little bit longer.
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🔗 Midfield Link Play
Arsenal look to join Barcelona in UWCL final
Barcelona eked past Chelsea on Friday to reach the UWCL final for the third consecutive season. On Monday, Arsenal look to join them there when they host Wolfsburg on CBS Sports Golazo Network (12:45 p.m. ET). The enthralling first leg of this matchup had Wolfsburg go up early and broadly dominated the match. Arsenal found a way to fight back behind goals from Rafaelle and Stina Blackstinius.
Twenty3
Can Arsenal finish the job as they come back home? Well, they will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd at the Emirates, and that’s a big deal. Here’s Sandra Herrera to break it all down for you.
Herrera: “The group will continue to rely on attacking form by Stina Blackstenius and physicality from Katie McCabe, but they’ll also have an added boost from the stadium environment. The club have announced a sellout of Emirates Stadium with an expected capacity crowd.”
Remember, you can catch the match complete with pre-match analysis and post-match coverage on CBS Sports Golazo Network. And don’t forget the network is also your home for coverage of the final on June 3.
And now let’s get to some links:
🔗 More from Francesco Porzio on Napoli’s draw with Salernitana.
🔗 Manchester City are now on top of the Premier League table after grinding out a result against Fulham.
🔗 Liverpool blew a three-goal lead and won anyway against Tottenham.
🔗 Jurgen Klopp pulled his hamstring celebrating the wild, last-minute go-ahead goal.
🔗 After a dramatic draw against Roma, Francesco Porzio breaks down Ismael Bennacer’s new role.
🔗 On the women’s side, AS Roma clinched their first Serie A title.
🔗 Thorns keeper Bella Bixby scored a back-heel equalizer in stoppage time against Angel City. You read that right.
🔗 Leeds are unraveling and the Morning Footy crew is talking about what has gone wrong.
🔗 Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Milan contract expires soon and Susannah Collins thinks he’d be a great fit at Wrexham.
🔗 Felipe Cárdenas believes change is needed for Sporting KC after hitting rock bottom in after a home loss to Montreal.
🔗 House of Champions: Fabrizio Romano joins the show to talk all things transfers.
🔗 Attacking Third: It’s NWSL weekend recap time, after a wild weekend of matches.
🔗 And remember, all of your soccer needs — from NWSL to Champions League to Serie A and so much more — are available on Paramount+. 📺 You can try one month free by using the code: EUROPE.
💰 The Back Line
💵 Best bets
All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook and all times U.S./Eastern. SportsLine has you covered with your best bets.
It’s make-or-break for Arsenal in their UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinal on CBS Sports Golazo Network
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