Following their embarrassing Coppa Italia hammering at the hands of Frosinone, Napoli rounded off a terrible week with a defeat at the Stadio Olimpico. Matteo Politano’s ill-advised reaction earned him a straight red card, so Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini came off the bench to seize the opportunity and put his side in the lead. Victor Osimhen added insult to injury by picking up a second yellow card, leaving the Partenopei with nine men on the pitch. Romelu Lukaku scored the hosts’ second goal with the final kick of the match. So here are our player ratings for Napoli who succumbed to yet another defeat, this time against Roma by two unanswered goals.
Napoli (4-3-3)
Alex Meret – 7
The Italian goalkeeper was easily the best Napoli player on the pitch. Pulled off excellent saves to deny Bove and Lukaku, but could do little about the two goals.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 5.5
The Napoli captain overcame an injury scare in the first half, but still couldn’t put up an impressive display on either end of the pitch. Perhaps could have done better to close in on Pellegrini.
Amir Rrahmani – 5
Another shaky display at the back from the Kosovan who completely lost track of Andrea Belotti in the first half which almost led to a Roman opener.
Juan Jesus – 6.5
While it wasn’t a pretty performance, the Brazilian veteran did well in his daunting task of keeping Lukaku at bay,
Mario Rui – 5.5
While Osimhen was hoping to get some delicious crosses in his way, the Portuguese offered little to nothing in the attacking phase.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 5.5
The former Fulham man was often second to the ball. He’s fading into a shadow of the all-round midfielder who bossed the park last season.
Stanislav Lobotka – 5.5
The Slovakian isn’t enjoying his finest campaign and at times struggled to contain Edoardo Bove who found space in the hole. His night ended after sustaining a knock just before the hour mark, but it had been a timid outing anyway.
Piotr Zielinski – 5.5
The Pole delivered decent balls to the box from set pieces but it was an anonymous display from the Inter transfer target for the largest part.
Matteo Politano – 4.5
It was a forgettable homecoming for the Roman who lost his head when retaliating against Nikola Zalewski’s foul with a kick that left his side with a man down, thus turning the tide in the hosts’ favor. He had a decent outing prior to the incident, but it was all undone after the red card.
Victor Osimhen – 5
To his credit, the Nigerian fought for every ball and seemed to be the one Napoli player capable of changing the course of the match. Yet, he allowed himself to receive two avoidable bookings while chasing lost causes.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 5
The Georgian was on the receiving end of some tough treatment from Gianluca Mancini and company. While he earned a few fouls, he once again failed to inspire and hardly left his mark in the final third.
Substitutes
Jens Cajuste – 6
A positive cameo from the Swedish midfielder who tried his best to shield the backline, but it was already a lost cause for Napoli.
Alessio Zerbin – N/A
Giacomo Raspadori – N/A
Natan – N/A
Gianluca Gaetano – N/A
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |