Final result: Napoli-Roma 1-0
Napoli’s report cards (by Paolo Lora Lamia)
Meret 6 – Game almost as a non-paying spectator, in which he only had to block a central shot from Pisilli and on one occasion was saved by the crossbar.
By Lorenzo 7 – Certainly one of the best, for the continuity with which he pushes on the right, often closing his gallops with crosses inviting the tips. One of these led to Lukaku’s decisive goal.
Rrahmani 6.5 – The director of the Neapolitan defense, who protects the area without problems over the course of 90 minutes.
Good morning 6 – He forms an extremely solid pair with Rrahmani, sometimes even pushing forward.
Olivera 6.5 – Like Di Lorenzo, he spares no effort in terms of thrust, duetting as best he can on the left with Kvara and not dropping in the second half.
Anguissa 6 – In the middle of the field he makes himself felt, battling especially with Koné. Sufficient performance for him. From 88′ Folorunsho sv.
Lobotka 6.5 – He returns to direct the midfield, carrying out this task with his usual confidence and precision.
McTominay 6 – The Italian all-rounder, who shows up in defense and then participates in the subsequent restart. Better in the first half.
Politano 5.5 – He is not lacking in terms of attitude and desire to be dangerous, but these positive aspects clash with the limited precision in offensive plays. From 88′ Mazzocchi sv.
Lukaku 7 – The usual script for the Belgian who, narrowly missed by a defender (in this case Ndicka), struggled to be decisive in the final metres. At least in the first 45 minutes, because after the break he took advantage of one of the few balls available and transformed it into a 3-point goal. From 79′ Simeone sv.
Kvaratskhelia 5 – He could start the match in an extraordinary way, having an opportunity which however fails two steps from the goal. He tries to redeem himself, with many initiatives on the left front, which however does not end well and becomes increasingly nervous. From 67′ Neres 6 – He brings freshness to the Neapolitan attack, coming close to making it 2-0 in the final.
Antonio Conte 6.5 – After overtaking Inter, Atalanta and Fiorentina and despite a grim Roma until the end, he took 3 golden points and did it in his own way.
Roma’s report cards (by Giacomo Iacobellis)
Svilar 6 – Confident in his exits and clearances, as on the occasion of McTominay’s shot in the first half. He can do nothing about the goal of the former Lukaku, who scores the 1-0 in front of goal after a double error from Angelino and Hummels.
Celik 6 – On his side he has a very difficult client to manage like Kvara, who after two minutes is already dangerous. There are all the signs for a complicated evening and in the push phase his performance is understandably inferior to that of Angelino, but if the Georgian doesn’t make an impact in the end it’s also thanks to him (From 78′ Saud sv).
Left-handed 6 – Be careful when marking and anticipating, start in the middle in a line of four and then scale to the right as an arm. How many boos from the Napoli fans at the moment of his substitution (From 88′ Dybala sv).
Ndicka 6 – The same argument made for the previous teammate is valid, but the former Eintracht player is even more providential in at least a couple of situations.
Angelino 5 – His first half was attentive and in the second half the two main dangers created by Roma came right from his feet (Baldanzi’s shot and Dovbyk’s crossbar), but the error on the occasion of the goal which ultimately decided the match was to be red pencil.
El Shaarawy 5.5 – In the first half he plays on the right wing in the 4-4-2 and doesn’t accomplish a thing. However, he has the merit of saving the result with a fundamental stop on Kvara close to the interval (From the 46th minute Hummels 5 – There’s a lot of talk about his lack of ownership and, in general, about his lack of space, but are we sure that this Hummels is better than the other Roma centre-backs? He enters the second half and Lukaku is lost on the goal).
Koné 6 – Lots of recoveries in the midfield, almost as if it were an octopus with a thousand tentacles. De Rossi, Juric or Ranieri, the coaches change but he must be a certainty in the middle.
Cristante 6 – Another much talked about footballer, another of those who ended up on the so-called “black list”. The fact is that the former Atalanta gladiator at Maradona played a test of great intensity in the two phases.
Peas 5.5 – He started on the left in the 4-4-2 of the first half, only to find himself in a more comfortable position after the formation change at the start of the second half. Roma’s first sign came thanks to his long-range shot after 20 minutes, but he was unable to help Angelino in his defensive tasks on Politano and Di Lorenzo (From 78′ Dahl sv).
Pilgrims 5.5 – Mister Ranieri had tried to push him in the pre-match press conference, but the moment remains of little conviction and, at times, even lack of awareness. Replaced after a period without having left his mark, except with a very high shot (From 46′ Baldanzi 6 – The former Empoli player misses a great goal from Angelino, but he is still the most proactive Roma player in the second half. If anyone reacts after Lukaku’s goal, it’s Baldanzi.)
Dovbyk 5.5 – He hits a sensational crossbar with his head following a free kick from the right by Angelino. For the rest he plays with the Napoli defense without almost ever emerging victorious from the duels with Buongiorno and Rrahmani.
Claudio Ranieri 5.5 – Sir Claudio’s challenge this time will be very tough indeed, because this Roma team has structural limits and a total absence of certainties from a gaming point of view. He saw it very well himself, when after a first half of defense only against Maradona he tried to reawaken his team by changing formation and two interpreters already in the interval. It wasn’t enough, even though his team at least found a little more compactness.