Como Win 2-1 at Napoli: Baturina and Douvikas Punish Wasteful Hosts
SportSignals Match Desk · Football analysis desk ·
The Basics Were Not Enough for Napoli
Napoli had 58 percent of the ball. They registered 21 shots. They had six on target to Como's two. And they lost. That is the story of this match. You can dress it up however you want. The fact is that Como came to the Stadio Maradona, scored twice in 17 minutes either side of Napoli's equaliser, and held on to win 2-1. Accountability starts with execution. Napoli did not execute when it mattered.
The home side had gone into this fixture in decent form across their last five Serie A outings, winning three and losing only one. But form tables do not score goals. Players do. And on this afternoon, it was Como's players who did the damage.
A Frantic First Half Decided the Match
Martin Baturina opened the scoring on 17 minutes with a left-foot finish, assisted by Assane Diao. That was the standard set from the off. Como were direct, sharp, and they did not waste the moment when it arrived.
Napoli hit back. Rasmus Højlund levelled on 30 minutes, converting from a left-foot shot with Amir Rrahmani listed as the related player on the move. Credit where it is due. Napoli showed desire to respond quickly. That matters.
But it lasted four minutes. Anastasios Douvikas put Como back in front on 34 minutes with a right-foot strike, assisted by Baturina. There it was. The lead restored, and Napoli chasing again before half-time had even arrived. Giovanni Di Lorenzo then picked up a yellow card for a foul on 37 minutes, which summed up the mood in the Napoli camp going into the break. Frustrated, rattled, a goal down.
The thing is, the first half was decided by basics. Como created their chances, stayed disciplined in their structure, and took their goals cleanly. Napoli gave them the space to do it.
Napoli Pressed in the Second Half. Como Did Not Buckle.
The second half belonged almost entirely to Napoli on paper. They piled forward. They had 14 goal attempts in total across the 90 minutes, 13 shots inside the box, and seven corners. Como sat deep, absorbed the pressure, and competed hard.
Both managers turned to their benches at the same point. On 56 minutes, Napoli brought off Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay, and Mathías Olivera, replacing them with Alisson Santos, Noa Lang, and Leonardo Spinazzola. Three changes at once tells you the manager knew something had to shift. Como responded two minutes later, replacing the goalscorer Baturina with Maxence Caqueret, and Yan Couto with Ivan Smolcic. Further changes followed from both sides in the 65th and 66th minutes for Como, then Napoli made their final alterations on 80 minutes, bringing on Lorenzo Lucca and David Neres.
None of it changed the scoreline. Como's goalkeeper made four saves. Napoli's made just one. The saves column tells you everything about who was under pressure in the second half, and also about how well Como's keeper rose to it when called upon.
Como's Defensive Discipline Was the Difference
Listen, when you come to a ground like this and win, it is not luck. It is organisation and it is desire. Como won 45 duels to Napoli's 35. They made 15 interceptions against Napoli's five. They tackled 12 times. These are not glamorous numbers. These are the numbers of a team that competed from the first whistle to the last.
Como carried an unbeaten run of five matches into this fixture, winning three and drawing two in that span, including a 4-1 win over Cremonese and successive 1-0 victories against Parma and Hellas Verona. They knew how to see a match out. They showed that knowledge today.
The only previous meeting between these two sides in Serie A ended 0-0, with Napoli as the home side on that occasion as well. Como took the lessons from that game. Napoli did not take enough of their own.
Napoli's Shot Conversion Was Unacceptable
Twenty-one shots. Two goals. Six on target. That ratio is the problem in plain sight. Como had 13 shots total and scored twice from two on target. That is ruthlessness. That is the attitude you need in front of goal. Napoli had the volume without the precision.
The thing is, Napoli's recent form coming into this game showed a team capable of keeping clean sheets. They had kept a clean sheet in four of their last five Serie A outings before today, and their defence had only conceded three goals across those five games. So it was not a defensive collapse that cost them here. It was the failure to kill the match off when they had the chances to do it.
Nine offsides for Napoli over the course of the match is also worth noting. Their forwards were pushing the line, trying to find a way through, but the timing was off repeatedly. That is a mentality problem as much as a technical one. Players at this level need to be sharper. End of.
The Verdict
Como deserved this win. Three points on the road against a side with Napoli's recent record is no small achievement, and they earned it with two goals in the first half and a disciplined, hard-working second-half defensive display. Baturina was the creative force before being withdrawn, and Douvikas took his chance with composure when it arrived.
For Napoli, this is a result that demands a proper look at their standards in front of goal. You cannot dominate a match in terms of possession, shots, and territory, and still lose. That is not bad luck. That is a problem with the basics. The desire was there in stretches, particularly after going behind a second time, but desire without execution does not win football matches.
Como go away from Naples with something to feel very good about. Napoli go home with a lot of questions to answer.