Napoli earned a 1–0 win at the Olimpico thanks to a cool first-half finish from David Neres after a rapid counter-attack. Roma created a handful of half-chances, including a glancing effort from Lewis Ferguson and a late strike from Tommaso Baldanzi, but Ivan Provedel was rarely troubled.
Napoli threatened repeatedly on transitions and nearly doubled their lead through Matteo Politano in the second half. Israel Schmidt de Azevedo explores the key tactical themes from the match.
Roma vs Napoli began with both teams setting up two pressing blocks: one pushed slightly higher and another positioned deeper in midfield. Both sides looked for long balls early on, stretching the gaps between their lines.
Roma pushed both second strikers wide as side midfielders, almost functioning as wingers, while the two central midfielders advanced close to the centre-forward to support the press. Further back, the wing-backs stayed alongside the centre-backs to protect against long passes.
Napoli tried to play through this pressure by splitting their centre-backs, dropping their midfielders deep as defensive midfielders and bringing the wing-backs closer to the defensive line, almost forming a four-man midfield. Ahead of them, the three attackers stayed wide, with Højlund used to hold the ball up or cushion passes for runners.
When Napoli pressed, Højlund became the highest player, with the central and defensive midfielders stepping forward and the second strikers pushing wide to form a line of four as side midfielders. Behind them, the wing-backs and centre-backs created a deeper line aimed at stopping Roma’s long balls.
Roma tried to bypass the pressure by pushing Ndicka wide on the left and dropping Cristante to the right as a centre-back, giving them better quality in possession. The side centre-backs moved wide like full-backs. Koné stayed in front of the box to offer speed and link-up play, while Wesley and Çelik held advanced positions near the halfway line.
The second strikers positioned themselves close to the centre, with Ferguson the most advanced. This also allowed Roma to attack using long balls and pace on the flanks.
When defending, Roma compressed the space between defenders and dropped their wing-backs to form a back five. Ahead of them, two defensive midfielders stayed close, while the second strikers widened to protect the flanks, with Ferguson remaining the advanced outlet.
Napoli’s attacking shape was interesting: the second strikers stayed wide as wingers but also drifted closer to the centre-forward, which allowed the wing-backs to overlap. The two central midfielders pushed up, forming a line of four with the wing-backs, and at times arrived near the box as attacking midfielders. The centre-backs held a high line near halfway, with the wide centre-backs stepping into the opposition half.
In the 17th minute, Mathías Olivera clipped a pass to David Neres on the right. He crossed, the ball sailing over the defence and Højlund inside the box, eventually falling to Di Lorenzo, who attempted a first-time half-volley that went wide. In the 27th minute, Lang drove at his defender, pulled off a flip-flap against Çelik and, after a sharp cut to the right, delivered a curling cross that flew past Olivera and Roma’s defender, almost deceiving the goalkeeper—Svilar made a difficult save.
When defending, Napoli also narrowed their centre-backs and dropped their wing-backs to act as full-backs. The second strikers stayed wide as wing-backs to strengthen the defensive presence on the flanks, supported by the defensive and central midfielders near the box. Ferguson stayed high near the halfway line.
Roma attacked with a high defensive line on halfway. Both central midfielders stepped into the final third, the second strikers remained slightly wide alongside the centre-forward, and the wing-backs pushed on almost as wingers. In the 33rd minute, Çelik switched play from the right to Wesley, who crossed for Ferguson. The ball came slightly too high, and Ferguson mistimed his jump, only managing to glance it upwards, sending it over the bar.
In the 35th minute, Koné attempted a pass that deflected awkwardly. Both teams hesitated before reacting, and Napoli’s defender eventually won the duel. David Neres collected the ball and carried it forward before sliding it wide to Højlund. Seeing the Roma defence shifting, Neres made a run through the middle. Højlund spotted it and returned a long pass into his path. Neres collected the ball at the edge of the second third and drove forward into the area. Svilar rushed out to close him down, but Neres finished calmly to score Napoli’s opener.
In the 46th minute, Wesley went backwards to Koné, who found Pellegrini, and he released Soulé. Soulé attempted a curling effort towards the top corner but sent it well over.
In the 76th minute, Napoli countered again through Politano, who drove inside and unleashed a powerful curling shot, but it went straight at Svilar, who saved comfortably in two attempts. In the 77th minute, Koné searched for a better passing angle, used a decoy run, and found a superb through ball to Pellegrini, who hit a powerful long-range shot over the bar.
In the 90th minute, Koné fed Dybala, who attempted a pass but mishit it. Still, it reached Baldanzi, who held off Beukema and shot inside the box.
Napoli controlled the game well and finished as deserved winners. Roma absorbed pressure early but protected Svilar effectively. As soon as Roma pushed higher and tried to create in the final third, they left space for counters, and Napoli punished them.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second half saw Napoli willingly concede possession to attack on the break; their first major second-half chance again came from transition. Roma’s first dangerous effort arrived midway through the half, and they managed little overall, with only one more threatening shot requiring action from the Napoli goalkeeper. The win lifted Napoli above Roma into second place in Serie A.
They take encouragement from David Neres’ recent form, though his late substitution—limping and holding his left hamstring—raises concern. Supporters will hope it’s a minor issue, especially remembering how they lost De Bruyne in peak condition earlier this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Israel Schmidt de Azevedo
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