ROME — Napoli failed to score for the fifth time in its last seven games as the defending Serie A champion laboured at home to 0-0 against Monza on Friday.
Matteo Pessina missed a penalty for Monza midway through the second half and teammate Mirko Maric was sent off in stoppage time for kicking the ball away. Both coaches also received red cards in a chaotic last few minutes.
Monza’s lack of goals is a problem for a club already punching above its weight. The club has performed creditably well in its one and half seasons in the top tier but Friday’s game was the first time in its Serie A history that it has failed to hit the net in three consecutive matches. It remains in 11th place.
Napoli’s barren run, meanwhile, has seen it win just 28 points from a possible 54. It was in seventh place.
Goals were not much easier to come by in Florence but a late header from defender Lucas Ranieri — his first of the league season — earned a 1-0 win against Torino.
The win extended Fiorentina’s unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions and lifted it to fourth in Serie A. Torino remained 10th.
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