Napoli 3-3 AS Roma result, stats and report

Three-three. Six goals. A manager sent off in injury time. A defender scoring twice as a substitute. Napoli had this won. Then they didn't. Then they won it again. Then they didn't. That is Serie A for you and that is exactly what happened on Saturday evening when Roma came to Naples and refused to lie down.

The thing is, Napoli will look at this result and know they handed it away. They had the lead twice. They had the ball in the net three times. McTominay was electric. And yet they ended up sharing the points with a Roma side that was outshot, outscored for most of the night, and still somehow walked away with a point. That is a failure of basics. End of.

McTominay Announces Himself

Let's start with what went right for Napoli because there was plenty of it for long stretches. Frank Anguissa opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a right-foot shot, and it was a deserved lead. Napoli were compact, direct, and had genuine desire in those early exchanges.

Then Scott McTominay took over. The Scotsman headed home from a Matteo Politano delivery in the 48th minute to make it two-nil and the match looked done. Napoli had their foot on Roma's throat. You don't let up at that point. You do not invite them back in. The basics demand you kill the game.

McTominay was not finished either. He got his second in the 83rd minute with a right-foot shot, assisted by Mathías Olivera, to make it three-two at that stage. Two goals, two completely different moments in the match, and both times he was where a midfielder should be. He competed. He executed. He was the best player on the pitch. High standards, and he met them.

Roma's Comeback and the Balerdi Factor

Here is where it gets complicated. Roma made three substitutions at the 58-minute mark. Leonardo Balerdi, Mario Hermoso, and Nahuel Molina all came on. That triple change shifted the match completely. Credit where it is due to Roma's bench.

Matías Soulé pulled one back in the 69th minute with a left-foot shot assisted by Donyell Malen to make it two-one. Then Balerdi, a centre-back who had only just come on, scored with his left foot in the 74th minute to level it at two apiece. Santiago Castro assisted. A defender. Coming off the bench. Scoring a goal. Napoli's defence had gone to sleep and Roma punished them for it.

When McTominay restored Napoli's lead in the 83rd minute it felt like justice. Surely that was enough time to see it out. Seven minutes plus stoppage time. Defend. Compete. Win the duels. It should not be complicated.

It was complicated. Balerdi headed home from a Wesley cross in the 89th minute to make it three-all. A centre-back with two goals from the bench. Napoli simply did not deal with him. That is unacceptable. You cannot allow the same man to beat you twice in fifteen minutes. The accountability has to be there in that back line and on this evidence it was not.

The Numbers Tell a Story

Roma had 61 percent of the ball and completed 499 passes to Napoli's 296. They had 24 shots in total to Napoli's 15. They put in 30 crosses. Eight of them accurate. That is a team that dominated large portions of this match in ways the scoreline does not fully reflect. Napoli had just one save in the match. One. Their goalkeeper was not exactly overworked early doors but when Roma turned the screw, Napoli's defensive structure creaked and eventually cracked twice in the closing stages.

Listen, Napoli had nine shots on target to Roma's four. They created four big chances to Roma's two. And Roma missed none of theirs while Napoli squandered three big chances. That is the story right there. You create more. You waste more. You do not win. Desire without execution is just noise.

Allegri Sees Red

To cap it all, Napoli manager Massimiliano Allegri was sent to the stands in the 90th minute, picking up what appears to have been a red card for an argument. He was not the only one arguing. The whole stadium had something to say. But the manager cannot be adding fuel to that fire at that moment. His team needed leadership and organisation at two-three up. They did not get a clean sheet. They did not get three points. And their manager ended the night watching from the tunnel.

It is a results business. Allegri knows that better than most. Tonight did not meet the required standard.

Roma's Attitude Cannot Be Questioned

Here is the part that will sting Napoli most. Roma came into this match having not lost in their previous five Serie A matches, winning three of them. They came to Naples and showed the attitude of a side that believes in itself. Four yellow cards across the match tells you they were willing to put their bodies on the line. They argued. They competed. Balerdi got booked in the 61st minute and still scored twice.

Roma picked up four yellow cards in this match alone. Marten de Roon was carded in the 86th minute for an argument, which tells you exactly the kind of mentality they brought to Naples. Scrappy, determined, and completely refusing to accept defeat. You cannot teach that. Either you have it or you do not. Roma had it tonight.

Verdict

Napoli dominated the shot count, scored three goals, had McTominay at his absolute best, and still ended up with nothing to show for it but a draw. Roma were outshot, outplayed for stretches, and came back from two-nil down through a substitute defender to steal a point in the 89th minute. Both things are true.

The thing is, this is not a moral victory for Napoli. A draw at home when you lead two-nil and then three-two is two points dropped. Their form going into this match showed two wins and two losses in the previous five Serie A games. They needed three points. They did not get them because their defence fell apart in the closing stages when it mattered most.

McTominay deserved better. He competed. He delivered. The players around him did not hold their end up when it counted. That is on them. Standards have to be higher than this.