NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Napoli fans flooded into the centre of the southern Italian port city on Sunday, expecting their team to beat local rivals Salernitana and secure their first Serie A championship title since 1990.
But a late equaliser spoilt plans for one of the largest street parties Italy has seen in years, leaving disappointed Napoli supporters to stream home, furl away their flags and hope for better luck later in the week.
"We are destined to suffer, but we will win the title and come back stronger than ever," said supporter Cristiano Piccirillo, his face painted in the blue and white colours of Napoli.
With six games still to play, Napoli have an 18-point lead over their nearest rival Lazio, meaning they are virtually assured of winning the coveted "scudetto" (shield) -- possibly in their next match away to Udinese on Thursday.
Even though victory still seems certain, there was a huge sense of anti-climax after they failed to wrap things up on Sunday in front on an ecstatic home crowd, with the streets and squares of Naples full of fans already in party mode.
Local authorities estimated that some 300,000 outsiders had flooded into Naples prior to the match to join residents in celebrating the eagerly anticipated triumph, and police said they were expecting a million people to swamp the city centre.
"I am very disappointed because I came here specially for this," said Fabio Spampanato, who lives in England. "But it is already done. We just have to wait a bit longer."
The U.S. consulate had issued a security alert for their citizens ahead of Sunday's game, saying "spontaneous celebrations could last multiple days" and warning of "heavy traffic or road closures, significant use of fireworks, and alcohol consumption throughout the city".
Police have banned fireworks, but Neapolitans are famous for ignoring officialdom and the sound of firecrackers and bangers were heard whizzing and popping for much of the day.
But when the final whistle went, the crowds in the streets rapidly thinned and people quietly headed out of the stadium, which is named after Argentine star Diego Armando Maradona, who inspired Napoli to its last scudetto 33 years ago.
(Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Ros Russell)
