ROME (AP) — Napoli went through three different coaches during its Serie A title defense last season and ended the campaign in 10th place.
Antonio Conte was hired in July and now Napoli is ending 2024 level with Atalanta atop the Italian league again.
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Roma's Paulo Dybala, front, jumps for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Fiorentina's Riccardo Sottil celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Fiorentina's Moise Kean celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Khephren Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's David Neres Campos, left, and Venezia's Franco Carboni, right, in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's David Neres Campos, right, and Venezia's Franco Carboni in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left, and Venezia's Giorgio Altare in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Substitute Giacomo Raspadori scored a late goal and Napoli beat relegation-threatened Venezia 1-0 on Sunday in its final match of the year.
Napoli trails Atalanta only on goal difference but both teams are one point ahead of defending champion Inter Milan, which has a game in hand.
“Even if I play cards with my daughter I want to win,” said Conte, who was hired to get Napoli back into the Champions League. “Personally, I don’t accept minimal goals. But we all know where we started and what the club’s objectives are.”
Atalanta drew 1-1 at Lazio on Saturday and Inter won 3-0 at Cagliari.
Also Sunday, Juventus and Fiorentina drew 2-2 in a match that was briefly suspended because of discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic; and AC Milan drew 1-1 with visiting Roma.
After Luciano Spalletti coached Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022-23, Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona managed the team last season, when the Partenopei finished a whopping 41 points behind Inter.
“What happened is in the past. The present is what counts,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “It’s great to be back on top but there’s still a long way to go.”
Napoli had struggled to get the ball past Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, the son of former Lazio and Inter standout Dejan Stankovic. But Raspadori broke the deadlock in the 79th when he used one touch to fire in a loose ball from the center of the area less than 10 minutes after he came on.
“These are tough matches where it means a lot to come away with three points,” Raspadori said. “We know we’re on the right path.”
In the first half, Stankovic saved a penalty kick from Romelu Lukaku. Then in the second half Stankovic deflected a shot from Lukaku off the post.
Napoli produced 25 shots to Venezia's four.
Napoli’s 27 goals scored are the least among the top six teams in the standings.
“The squad is improving under every point of view. We just need to score more goals,” Conte said.
Discriminatory chants aimed at Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic by visiting Fiorentina fans prompted a two-minute suspension during the first half.
Vlahovic, a Serbia international who played for Fiorentina before transferring to Juventus three years ago, appeared to tell the referee about the chants. The ref then stopped play, gathered the teams and ordered a warning announcement to be made over the stadium’s public address system.
The announcement said that the match would be suspended definitively if there were more discriminatory chants.
Play then resumed.
Khephren Thuram put Juventus ahead midway through the first half. Former Juventus striker Moise Kean equalized before the break with his 15th goal across all competitions this season. Thuram added another in the second half and Fiorentina equalized again with a volley from Riccardo Sottil in the 87th.
Juventus and Fiorentina are both nine points behind the leaders.
Juventus is the only unbeaten team in the league but the Bianconeri have drawn more matches (11) than they've won (seven).
At the San Siro, Tijjani Reijnders put Milan ahead early on and Paulo Dybala equalized for Roma. Under-pressure Milan coach Paulo Fonseca was sent off for protests at the end of the first half.
Earlier, Torino came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Udinese.
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Roma's Paulo Dybala, front, jumps for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Roma at the San Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Fiorentina's Riccardo Sottil celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Fiorentina's Moise Kean celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Juventus' Khephren Thuram celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus Turin and Fiorentina in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's David Neres Campos, left, and Venezia's Franco Carboni, right, in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's David Neres Campos, right, and Venezia's Franco Carboni in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, left, and Venezia's Giorgio Altare in action during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Venezia at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy Sunday Dec. 29, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — From Sydney to Mumbai to Nairobi, communities around the world welcomed 2025 with spectacular light shows, embraces and ice plunges.
The New Year’s Eve ball dropped in soggy Times Square, where thousands of revelers stuck it out in heavy rain to celebrate the start of 2025 in New York City.
Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to ring in the New Year, with midnight in New Zealand striking 18 hours before the ball dropped in Times Square. Auckland was the first major city to celebrate, with thousands thronging downtown or climbing the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point.
Conflict muted acknowledgements of the start of 2025 in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025, a full 24 hours after New Zealand.
Fireworks blasted off the Sydney Harbor Bridge and across the bay. More than a million Australians and others gathered at iconic Sydney Harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams led a singalong with the crowd.
The celebration also featured Indigenous ceremonies and performances that acknowledged the land’s first people.
Much of Japan shut down ahead of the nation’s biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent a thorough cleaning.
The upcoming Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is heralded as one of rebirth — alluding to the reptile’s shedding skin. Other places in Asia will mark the Year of the Snake later, with the Lunar New Year.
In South Korea, celebrations were cut back or canceled during a period of national mourning following Sunday's crash of a Jeju Air flight in Muan that killed 179 people.
In Thailand's Bangkok, shopping malls competed for crowds with live musical acts and fireworks shows. A fireworks display in Indonesia's Jakarta featured 800 drones.
Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year’s greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of growing closeness between two leaders who face tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin their countries will “always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua News Agency said.
China has maintained ties and robust trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to offset Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.
In India, thousands of revelers in the financial hub of Mumbai flocked to the city's bustling promenade facing the Arabian Sea. In Sri Lanka, people gathered at Buddhist temples to light oil lamps and incense sticks and pray.
In Dubai, thousands attended a fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. And in Nairobi, Kenya, scattered fireworks were heard.
Rome’s traditional New Year’s Eve festivities have an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis’ Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century celebration projected to bring some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis celebrated a vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica. During Mass on Wednesday he is expected to again appeal for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Jan. 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics, marking the Solemnity of Mary.
In Saint Paul, Minnesota, about 400 Catholics joined the archbishop for a rare 11 p.m. Mass followed by a champagne reception in the city’s monumental cathedral.
“People have the tradition to stay up and toast the new year, so we said, ‘Ok, let’s build on that,’” said the Rev. Joseph Johnson.
Paris capped a momentous 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks extravaganza on the Champs-Elysées. The city’s emblematic Arc de Triomphe monument was turned into a giant tableau for a light show that celebrated the city's landmarks and the passage of time, with whirring clocks.
“Paris is a party,” proclaimed Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games hosted in the French capital from July to September had transformed the city into a site of joy, fraternity and astonishing sporting achievements.
London rang in the New Year with a pyrotechnic display along the River Thames. With a storm bringing bitter weather to other parts of the United Kingdom, however, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, were canceled.
But in Switzerland and some other places, people embraced the cold, stripping and plunging into the water in freezing temperatures.
Rio de Janeiro threw Brazil’s main New Year’s Eve bash on Copacabana beach, with barges shooting off 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists on cruise ships and charter boats witnessed the show up close, while many more streamed onto the sand to find their spot.
The crowd on Copacabana was expected to exceed 2 million people — most decked out in white to keep with tradition. They packed together to enjoy concerts by Brazilian music legends Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and Ivete Sangalo, among others. Right after the fireworks concluded, Brazil’s biggest pop star, Anitta, took the stage.
“It’s so magical. It’s an incredible thing,” Alejandro Legarreta, a tourist from Puerto Rico, said after diving into the ocean.
In New York City, crowds cheered and couples kissed when the ball weighing almost 6 tons (5.4 metric tons) and featuring 2,688 crystal triangles descended down a pole in Times Square. The celebration included musical performances by TLC and Jonas Brothers.
“It’s the biggest party in the world. There’s no other place to celebrate New Year’s than Times Square,” said Tommy Onolfo of Long Island.
Las Vegas' pyrotechnic show will be on the Strip, with 340,000 people anticipated as fireworks are launched from the rooftops of casinos. Nearby, the Sphere venue will display for the first time countdowns to midnight in different time zones.
In Pasadena, California, Rose Parade spectators were camping out and hoping for prime spots. And some 200,000 people were flocking to a country music party in Nashville, Tennessee.
Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
Fireworks explode as thousands of people gather in the main business district on New Year's Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
People gather near the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate and watch the fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Performers prepare to ring in the new year near a Chinese national flag during a count down event held in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Revelers wear hats and ponchos as they dance in the rain during the annual New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Fireworks light the sky above the Quadriga at the Brandenburg Gate during New Year's celebrations shortly after midnight in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
A light show is projected on the Arc de Triomphe as fireworks explode during New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Revelers celebrate in New York's Times Square as they attend a New Year's Eve celebration, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
People cheer during the 2025 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Swimmers attend the traditional New Year's Eve swimming at Lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
People gather in the center of the Russian far east port of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, to celebrate the new year. (AP Photo)
People gather near the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate and watch the fireworks for the New Year's celebrations in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
People with a Georgian national and an EU flags gather in a street decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities on New Year's Eve outside of the Georgian parliament, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)
A couple kisses as they walk with their child in a square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Donetsk in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
Fireworks explode at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, during the New Year's Eve celebration in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the start of 2025 at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
Young performers wait backstage for a count down event held in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Pope Francis waves faithfuls after celebrating over New Year's Eve Vespers and Te Deum, in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the start of 2025 at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)
A girl holds a sparkler as she walks in a square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Donetsk in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
A couple share a tender moment as they walk with their child in a square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities in Donetsk in Russian-controlled Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov)
A giant balloon depicting a dancer flies over the people before a performance during the "Celebrating Cambodia" event as part of the New Year's Eve in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A Cambodian dancer with painted face waits before performing during the "Celebrating Cambodia" event as part of the New Year's Eve in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A Pakistani man take a selfie photo while the last sunset of 2024 hangs over the city of Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)
Lights illuminate Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, ahead of New Year's Eve celebration, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A woman wears a 2025 headband in the main business district on New Year's Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
People gather in the center of the Russian far east port of Vladivostok, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, to celebrate the new year. (AP Photo)
People celebrate New Year’s Eve at a promenade in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Cambodian dancers perform during the "Celebrating Cambodia" event as part of the New Year's Eve in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year message on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 in Beijing to ring in 2025. (Ju Peng/Xinhua via AP)
Egyptians walk in front of New Year decorations in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
Cambodian dancers perform during the "Celebrating Cambodia" event as part of the New Year's Eve in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
A woman holds her smartphone near an illuminated decoration on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
People cheer during the 2025 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Swimmers attend the traditional New Year's Eve swimming at lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Tuesday, December 31, 2024. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
The 9pm fireworks are seen during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
The 9pm fireworks are seen during New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney, Australia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP)
A young couple enter the venue for a New Year countdown concert in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
Young women in Vietnamese traditional costumes take a selfie near a New Year countdown concert in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam on Tuesday, Dec.31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
A visitor from Australia cleans her hand with water from a dragon-shaped fountain as part of a ritual to cleanse herself before heading to the main hall of Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People crowd the famed "Ameyoko" shopping street on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
People visit Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
A woman from Nagoya, left, and her friend from Tokyo, both originally from Indonesia, react to their photos they just took as they visit Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Two boys play football in front of a billboard welcoming the New Year 2025 in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam on Tuesday, Dec.31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
FILE - People celebrate the start of the New Year as fireworks illuminate Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, early Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, File)
FILE - Fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year celebrations begin in Sydney, Australia, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
FILE - Fireworks light-up the sky over the London Eye in central London to celebrate the New Year on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
FILE - A light show is projected on the Arc de Triomphe during a New Year's celebration on the Champs Elysees in Paris, France, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
People in the crowd catch confetti ahead of New Year's Eve in Times Square, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Organizers throw confetti ahead of New Year's Eve in Times Square, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
New Year's Eve preparations are underway in Times Square in New York, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
New Year's Eve preparations are underway in Times Square in New York, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
FILE - The 2025 New Year's Eve numerals are displayed in Times Square, on Dec. 18, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
