Rome-Naples 0-1
NETWORK: 36′ pt Neres.
ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar 6; Mancini 5, Ndicka 5, Hermoso 5.5; Celik 5.5, Cristante 5.5 (17′ st El Aynaoui 6), Kone 5.5, Wesley 5.5 (38′ st El Shaarawy sv); Soulé 5 (17′ st Dybala 5), Pellegrini 5.5 (35′ st Bailey sv); Ferguson 6 (1′ st Baldanzi 5). On the bench: Vasquez, Gollini, Rensch, Tsimikas, Ziolkowski, Sangaré, Ghilardi, Pisilli. Coach: Gritti (Gasperini disqualified) 5.
NAPLES (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic 7; Beukema 7, Rrahmani 7, Buongiorno 7.5; Di Lorenzo 7, Lobotka 6.5, McTominay 7, Olivera 6; Neres 7.5 (40′ st Lucca sv), Hojlund 7 (35′ st Elmas sv), Lang 6.5 (24′ st Politano 6). On the bench: Contini, Ferrante, Juan Jesus, Mazzocchi, Marianucci, Spinazzola, Vergara, Ambrosino. Coach: Conte 7.
REFEREE: Massa di Imperia 6.
NOTES: clear evening, soil in good condition. Booked: Cristante, Lobotka, Beukema, Baldanzi, Ndicka, El Shaarawy, Olivera. Corners: 4-2. Recovery time: 1′ st, 6′ st.
Napoli beat Roma 1-0 at the Olimpico and overtook the Giallorossi at the top, reaching Milan on 28 points. It was a goal from Neres in the first half that gave Antonio Conte’s men a success that had a great impact on their self-esteem after their recent away difficulties. On the other hand, Gian Piero Gasperini’s team is downsized, the solitary league leaders after 12 matchdays, something that hasn’t happened since the 2013/14 season. Roma are timid and imprecise and in fact fail yet another final exam in a direct clash. In the first half, Napoli dominated both ball possession (62%) and successful passes (258 against 153). Roma played their game on preventative measures, but Mancini and Ndicka often struggled against the rapid Neapolitan attackers. In the 36th minute Napoli took the lead with a transition: Hojlund managed to turn and launch Neres who burned Mancini in the attack and scored the 1-0 in front of Svilar. In Roma’s first 45 minutes there was little: Soulé tried with an oversized left-footed shot, while Mancini didn’t worry Milinkovic-Savic with a strangled shot.
At half-time Gritti, the Giallorossi assistant coach who replaces the suspended Gasperini, immediately makes a substitution: Ferguson out, Baldanzi in. To see Dybala on the pitch, however, you have to wait until the 61st minute: the Argentine takes the place of his compatriot Soulé, while El Aynaoui – fresh from scoring in the Europa League against Midtjylland – lets the booked Cristante catch his breath. Despite the quality of the substitutions, however, Roma continues to make many mistakes in their clearances. Pellegrini tries in the 77th minute, but the right-footed shot is high. Roma’s latest moves are Bailey and El Shaarawy. At the end comes the hosts’ only goal chance: Dybala inspires Baldanzi who kicks with his weak foot, but finds the response from Milinkovic-Savic. It’s the only thrill for a Napoli team that regains its lead in view of the big match with the great former Spalletti’s Juventus.
