At the Via Del Mare Stadium in Lecce, Napoli bounced back from last weekend’s shocking defeat at the hands of Milan, albeit it came in a rather unconvincing fashion. The home side arguably deserved better, but Antonino Gallo and his goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone combined to score a calamitous own goal that gifted Luciano Spalletti’s men a timely victory ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals. So here are our player ratings for Napoli who consolidated their lead on top of the Serie A table with a 2-1 win over Lecce.
Napoli (4-3-3)
Alex Meret – 6.5
The Italian shot-stopper could do little about Federico Di Francesco’s equalizer, but he seemed to be alert to the danger, making simple yet significant interventions.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 7
The Napoli captain put his side in the lead with a clinical header that beat Falcone. He somewhat contributed to the winner as his run to the box might have promoted the confusion in the Lecce’s defenses. He also put Elmas’ through on goal late in the match with a clever pass.
Amir Rrahmani – 5.5
The Partenopei seemed less solid than usual in defense, and while it wasn’t necessarily the Kosovan’s mistake, he hasn’t truly inspired confidence at the back.
Kim Min-jae – 7
The former Fenerbahce man was arguably the man of the match. Provided the assist for Di Lorenzo’s opener with an exquisite cross from the right side and pulled off a host of superb interceptions and tackles.
Mario Rui – 6
An improved display from the former Roma man following last week’s shocker. His cross from the left side led to the fumble which resulted in the chaotic winning goal.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 6
A solid if unspectacular display from Spalletti’s ever-so-reliable midfielder. Worked hard in the middle of the park, but was wasteful in possession at times.
Stanislav Lobotka – 5.5
It seems that the formidable Slovakian is suffering from a dip in form. He wasn’t as influential as usual in possession and was outmuscled off the ball ahead of Lecce’s equalizer.
Eljif Elmas – 6
A decent performance from the dynamic North Macedonian who acted as a box-to-box midfielder in Zielinski’s absence. Combined well with his teammates, but perhaps he could have done better on a late chance.
Hirving Lozano – 6
Although he wasn’t in his most vibrant form, the Mexican tested Falcone with a dangerous low drive in the first half. He also made a timely interception at the back before leaving his place on the pitch.
Giacomo Raspadori – 5
A wasted opportunity from the Italian striker who was given the nod in the absence of Victor Osimhen. His intercepted pass to Kvara ended a golden counter-attack for Napoli.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 6
The young winger didn’t hit top gear, but still had his flashes of brilliance, including a backheel-pass to Mario Rui which preceded the winner. However, it felt as if his teammates couldn’t unlock the best of him for the second week in a row.
Substitutes
Tanguy Ndombelé – 5.5
The Frenchman picked up a debatable yellow card that earned him a suspension. His impact remains less than noticeable.
Giovanni Simeone – N/A
Matteo Politano – N/A
Alessio Zerbin – N/A
Mathias Olivera – N/A
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