The Italian legend also changed his mind… “I never thought KIM would be this much”
Napoli won 2-1 in a home game against AS Roma in the 20th round of Serie A 2022/23 held at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy at 4:45 am on the 30th. Napoli, who took the lead with Osimen’s goal in the 17th minute of the first half, allowed El Shalawi to equalize in the second half, but Simeone scored the winning goal in the 41st minute of the second half to score three points. With this, Napoli took a step closer to 스포츠토토 winning the league title this season, with a 13-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan.
Kim Min-jae was also very active on this day. Without fail, he started as a center back and played full-time, tying up Roma strikers such as Dybala and Abraham. In particular, the home fans burst into cheers for his tough defense that did not give up his body and his tenacity to clear the ball without rest until the end of the second half.
In the 17th minute of the second half, he also showed a momentary attacking instinct. After blocking the opponent’s ball inside the Napoli penalty box, Kim Min-jae passed it to a teammate and ran to the opposite box at once. Thanks to Kim Min-jae who ran with all his might, there were 3 chances for offense and 2 defense, but Rossano chose to shoot himself and Kim Min-jae did not have a chance to attack. However, his speed and judgment were enough to surprise everyone.
Such a big success also changed the heart of the Italian legend defender. Alessandro Costacurta, who was responsible for the strong defense of the Italian national team with Paulo Baresi and Paulo Maldini in the 1990s and 2000s, told Sky Sports after the match, “It was like seeing Coulibaly again. I didn’t know Min-jae Kim would reach this level. It’s really amazing,” he said.
Kim Min-jae’s performance changed the mind of Costacurta, who is in charge of one axis of Napoli’s victory as a ‘one club man’ legend who played only in AC Milan for 20 years as a player. It is true that at the time Kim Min-jae entered the Serie A stage, he was close to unknown in Europe, so there were many suspicious eyes. Costacurta was one of them, but it is like admitting to admit it by looking at Min-jae Kim’s play and Napoli’s leaderboard now that he has passed the halfway point of the season.