Napoli vs AS Roma Review
AS Roma extended their unbeaten run in Serie A this season (5 wins, 3 draws) in a thrilling match, coming from behind twice to secure a 3-3 draw against Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The first half promised excitement with action at both ends. Bryan Cristante narrowly missed a shot from the edge of the box, while Donyell Malen challenged Napoli’s goalkeeper Alex Meret. Shortly after, Napoli took the lead in spectacular fashion.
Matteo Politano’s free-kick was initially cleared by Marten de Roon, but Frank Anguissa’s overhead kick found the corner of the net, marking the first league goal Roma had conceded before halftime this season. Roma nearly equalized through Mario Hermoso, whose curling shot went just wide, followed by Cristante’s header that struck the crossbar. Napoli remained dangerous as well, with Pierluigi Gollini making an excellent save to deny Mathias Olivera from close range.
The home team maintained their momentum into the second half, quickly doubling their lead just three minutes after the break. Politano delivered a cross to the far post, where Scott McTominay added to his two midweek goals with a powerful header that Gollini couldn’t stop. The former Napoli goalkeeper then denied Politano in a one-on-one as Napoli pushed forward aggressively. However, Roma showed their ability to create moments of brilliance, pulling a goal back against the flow of the game through Soule, who combined beautifully with Malen before curling a precise shot into the bottom corner.
Remarkably, the momentum shifted entirely in Roma’s favor, and they equalized a few minutes later when Santiago Castro controlled the ball with his chest and set up Leonardo Balerdi, who fired in a shot following a corner. The excitement continued, and it was McTominay who had the final word. After Leonardo Spinazzola’s initial shot was saved by Gollini, the rebound fell to the Scot, who unleashed an unstoppable long-range strike to reclaim the lead for his team, marking his fourth goal this week.
There was still time for one more twist when, just before stoppage time, Roma grabbed another equalizer. Impressively, Balerdi scored his second goal from the bench by heading in Wesley Franca’s cross. Max Allegri was sent off for protesting the goal, as his team’s four-game winning streak at home came to an end, and he will be deeply frustrated that they couldn’t hold on to the lead twice during the match. Meanwhile, Gian Piero Gasperini will be pleased to earn a point as his team keeps pushing forward in the title race.
