High-flying Napoli maintained their renaissance under Antonio Conte with an enthralling 3-1 home win against Serie A newcomers Como. Though the scoreline could suggest the Partenopei eased past their visitors, it wasn’t the case in a dramatic contest at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli couldn’t have dreamt of a better start. Less than 40 seconds into the game, Scott McTominay scored his first goal in Serie A with a brilliant finish from inside the box to open the scoresheet. However, the hosts inexplicably took their feet off the gas, allowing Como to take control of the game.
Nico Paz fired a warning shot from distance, but his outrageous left-foot effort rattled off the far post. Napoli refused to change their approach and got punished on the stroke of halftime as Gabriel Strefezza picked out the bottom corner from just outside the box with a devastating low shot, handing Cesc Fabregas’ side a well-deserved equalizer.
Como shot themselves in the foot at the start of the second half as Sergi Roberto gave away a cheap penalty. Romelu Lukaku assumed responsibility for taking the spot-kick and made no mistake, placing the ball down the middle to give Napoli another lead in the 53rd minute. The 31-year-old striker sealed Napoli’s triumph with a defense-splitting pass for David Neres, who opened his Serie A account off the bench late in the game.
Let’s look at our player ratings.
Napoli (4-3-3)
Elia Caprile – 6
With one of Como’s two attempts on target finishing behind his back, the second-string goalkeeper won’t be pleased with himself. Strefezza’s strike was thunderous but not unreachable.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6
Decent at the back, but nothing more than that! Nowhere to be seen when Napoli tried to hurt Como on the counter.
Amir Rrahmani – 6.5
Patrick Cutrone gave him a run for his money, constantly keeping him occupied around the penalty area, but the Kosovo international handled the pressure well.
Alessandro Buongiorno – 6
Like his defensive colleague, the marquee summer arrival fared well inside his 18-yard box, dominating his opponents in the air. However, picked up an unnecessary yellow early in the second half.
Mathias Olivera – 6
While near-anonymous on the opposition’s half, the Uruguayan left-back held up his end of the bargain defensively, barring a momentary slip-up, which saw Strefezza elude his mark and draw Como level.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 6.5
Though he had nothing to offer in the final third, the towering midfielder made numerous vital interceptions at the back and rarely gave the ball away.
Stanislav Lobotka – 6.5
He remains the beating heart of Napoli’s midfield despite his reluctance to take more chances in possession. His passes were clean and precise but didn’t make the difference.
Scott McTominay – 7
After a well-taken goal, the Scottish star focused more on helping his defense than giving any attacking contribution, but Conte will be pleased with his overall performance today.
Matteo Politano – 6
The diminutive forward looked lively from the get-go and was far more threatening than his counterpart on the opposite wing. Unfortunately, none of his teasing deliveries into the box turned into something more.
Khvicha Kvaratshkelia – 4.5
Another frustrating game for the Georgian winger! He was away from action for most of the game, and even when he had time and space on the ball, he couldn’t take advantage of it.
Romelu Lukaku – 8
Being cut off from the rest of the pack for most of the evening after setting up McTominay for the first goal didn’t knock the Belgian striker off his perch, as he converted the penalty with unparalleled confidence. Sealed Como’s fate with a brilliant assist for Neres.
Substitutes
David Neres – 7
Pasquale Mazzocchi – 5
Leonardo Spinazzola – N/A
Giovanni Simeone – N/A
Billy Gilmour – N/A
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