Napoli’s afternoon at the Diego Armando Maradona became a lesson in how quickly control can disappear. Twice the home side built a two-goal cushion, and twice Roma found a route back, leaving the contest at 3-3 and Napoli with only one point from a match in which victory had seemed within reach.
The coach and the club
For Napoli and Massimiliano Allegri, the draw carried the frustration of an opportunity missed. The hosts required all three points and had enough authority for long spells to put Roma under sustained pressure. Yet they could not protect either their 2-0 lead or the later 3-2 advantage.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma arrived while competing near the top of the table and with further confidence drawn from a Champions League win. Their performance in Naples was defined by persistence: even after falling behind again late on, they continued to attack and found an equaliser through an unlikely central figure, Leonardo Balerdi.
A match that kept changing shape
- Frank Zambo Anguissa gave Napoli the lead in the 28th minute with an acrobatic overhead finish.
- Roma came close before half-time, when Bryan Cristante headed against the post.
- Scott McTominay made it 2-0 three minutes after the interval, directing a header beyond the Roma defence.
- Matías Soulé began Roma’s comeback in the 70th minute, before substitute Balerdi levelled four minutes later.
- McTominay restored Napoli’s lead from distance in the 83rd minute, but Balerdi headed in again late in the game for 3-3.
McTominay and Balerdi define the afternoon
Anguissa’s early strike had rewarded Napoli’s stronger first-half display. His spectacular finish established a lead that Roma had threatened to erase only through Cristante’s effort against the woodwork.
McTominay then appeared to place Napoli on a clear path to the points. His header shortly after the restart gave the home side daylight, but Roma’s response changed the mood inside the stadium. Soulé reduced the deficit, and Balerdi, introduced during the second half, soon converted an action in the penalty area to make it 2-2.
Napoli looked unsteady after losing their earlier command, but McTominay intervened once more with a long-range effort to make it 3-2. It was his second goal and seemed likely to decide a dramatic fixture.
Roma, however, refused to accept defeat. Balerdi’s second headed goal secured the final score and completed a remarkable contribution from the Argentine defender. Napoli were left to reflect on a draw that felt insufficient, while Roma again demonstrated the resilience that has kept them in the race at the top.
