Spectacular turnaround and Malen's assist decide Napoli‑Roma drama
Napoli and AS Roma played Saturday evening at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in a spectacle that ended 3‑3, in which Donyell Malen provided a crucial assist for Matías Soulé and the home side lost the lead twice. Napoli surrendered a 2‑0 lead and also allowed Roma to come back from 3‑2, while Noa Lang made the kickoff.
Napoli dominates first half
Napoli started with Noa Lang in the lineup and brought on Sam Beukema after 52 minutes. In the first half Frank Anguissa produced a spectacular overhead kick, after which Scott McTominay doubled the lead to 2‑0 for the home side.
Roma fights back
In the second half Donyell Malen supplied an assist for Matías Soulé, who levelled the score at 2‑2 in the seventieth minute. Four minutes later Leonardo Balerdi headed the equaliser for AS Roma, after which McTominay put Napoli back in front at 3‑2 in the 83rd minute. Balerdi found the third goal in stoppage time and restored the 3‑3.
De Bruyne's notable role
Kevin De Bruyne started as a deep‑lying playmaker alongside Anguissa and McTominay and played almost eighty minutes. He was substituted in the 79th minute for Stanislav Lobotka and contributed no goal or assist, but received a 7 from Napoli Magazine for his intelligence in the build‑up.
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Serie A standings
After the match Napoli sit in ninth place in Serie A, while AS Roma are in third place. The positions of both clubs reflect the unpredictable nature of the game.
Controversy and other moments
In the closing stages Sam Beukema received a light tap from Balerdi, but he got up quickly and the VAR found no reason to disallow the goal. Ahead of the match the name Van den Belt was also mentioned in another context, drawing attention to Dutch players in the competition.
Season start in perspective
Napoli have collected ten points from the first seven matches of this season, after a defeat to Venezia and a tough Champions League win over Bodø/Glimt. AS Roma have entered Serie A unbeaten so far and only saw their first draw against Napoli.
Allegri's disastrous start at Napoli threatens Roma clash
Both clubs continue to battle in Serie A and are looking for more points to improve their position. The coming weeks will be decisive for their chances of European football.