Champions, wins and unforgettable goals: the history of Napoli vs. Inter

A special match which has always brought a lot of excitement to Inter fans. Inter are preparing to face Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona: a hostile and difficult place to go. Inter have managed to win 19 times on 78 occasions. Six of these wins came after 1992: important wins often sealed by Inter icons who proved decisive in one of the most important away trips of the season. We begin our journey with the match in the 1988/89 season: Giovanni Trapattoni's Inter, who would go on to rewrite the history books in the Italian league, faced Napoli on 15 January on matchday 13. Inter came into the clash in top spot, three points above the Partenopei, led on the pitch by Diego Armando Maradona. The sides drew 0-0 in the direct clash. An important result in Inter's season, as they went on to win their 13th Scudetto after winning 2-1 in the reverse fixture at San Siro.

Following the draw in 1989, Inter recorded two draws and a defeat away to Napoli. However, in the 1992/93 season, the Nerazzurri won with great character against the Partenopei. The clash came very early in the season, on matchday three. Inter, under the guidance of Osvaldo Bagnoli, played the match with great personality. The deadlock was broken with a brilliant goal in the area from the German Matthias Sammer in the ninth minute. Totò Schillaci scored a second just three minutes later. In the latter stages the Azzurri pulled one back with a goal from Fonseca. Inter, however, managed to defend the lead and got their first win away to Napoli after eight years.

This win was followed by a 0-0 draw and another win in the 1994/95 season: on 7 May, Inter visited Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli. This clash was key in determining European qualification, with Inter running out 1-3 winners in a convincing manner. The scoring was opened by Pierluigi Orlandini's brilliant left-footed strike: Napoli had the chance to equalise from the spot with Rincon's penalty, but Pagliuca saved the Colombian's penalty. After conceding Cruz's equaliser, Inter pushed for the win: Berti made it 2-1 with a header, and then Dennis Bergkamp sealed the win to make it 3-1 with an extraordinary solo goal.

The final two wins of the 90's came directly after each other. In the 1996/97 season, Inter won 1-2. It was a different campaign for both sides: the Nerazzurri fought to finish near the top of the table, while the Partenopei were fought for survival. The game was decided by goals from Marco Branca and Youri Djorkaeff, with Caccia pulling one back late on for Napoli. The following season, Gigi Simoni's Inter met Napoli on matchday six, with the match finishing 0-2 to the Nerazzurri, a win sealed by one of Fabio Galante's three goals for the Nerazzurri. Turrini's own-goal ensured defeat for the Partenopei, who would go on to be relegated to Serie B. Inter finished the season in second place and won the UEFA Cup as they beat Lazio in the final in Paris.

Napoli returned to Serie A for a single season during the 2000/01 season, and did not return to the top flight until the 2007/08 season. In the 2009/10 campaign, Napoli vs. Inter finished 0-0, with the game the following year ending 1-1: Eto'o scored a marvellous goal to open the scoring, but Zuniga then scored to equalise.

After the draw May 2011, Inter lost away to Napoli during three consecutive seasons, before drawing in the 2014/15 season: the draw was tense and hard-fought. After a goalless first half, Hamsik and Higuain scored to make it 2-0. The match seemed finished, buy Inter showed their determination to draw level with goals from Palacio and Icardi, who scored late one from the penalty spot. The match finished 2-2.

The 2019/20 season saw a winless drought come to an end for Inter, who beat Napoli 1-3 on the day of the Epiphany. The Nerazzurri were influenced by Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez: the former scored two goals in the first half, before Milik pulled one back. The Inter win was sealed by El Toro, who did well to beat Meret. This was Inter's first win away to Napoli after 23 years.

In the two following seasons, Inter recorded two 1-1 draws: in the 2020/21 season, the Nerazzurri pushed for their 19th Scudetto, but faced Napoli on 18 April. After going behind with an unfortunate own-goal from Handanovic, Inter equalised with a brilliant long-range strike from Christian Eriksen. The goal from the Dane gave Inter a valuable point. In the 2021/22 season, the match played out in a similar way. Napoli went ahead thanks to an Insigne penalty, while Dzeko equalised in the second half.

The final chapter in the story of Napoli vs. Inter was written last season, with a win from Simone Inzaghi's side. On 3 December 2023, Inter won 0-3 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, defeating the reigning league champions. The goals came from Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolò Barella and Marcus Thuram. The win essentially marked the passing of the baton between the 2022/23 winners and the future league winners, as Inter went on to win their 20th Scudetto and the Seconda Stella.