Clash at the Maradona ends in a draw
Napoli drew with Roma at the Maradona after a hard-fought, exciting game. Roma scored the opener with a deflection by Donyell Malen in the box just a few minutes into the match. The Azzurri then equalised as the first half was drawing to a close with a right-footed shot by Leonardo Spinazzola from 20 metres out. In the second half, Roma took the lead once again thanks to a second goal by Malen, who converted from the spot. In a breath-taking final part of the game, Napoli equalised again as Alisson Santos, who had come off the bench, broke down the defence and scored the final equaliser.
Here is what Antonio Conte had to say at the end of the match:
“We must be proud of what we’re doing despite the absences and emergencies affecting the team. I’ve told the players that they must be proud of the way they’re behaving.
“Roma are a very good team, but we probably deserved something more tonight. In any case, I liked the attitude and mentality that I saw on the pitch. I’m satisfied with the performance and I want to congratulate the team on what they’ve done.
“Alisson and Giovane have made a great contribution to the game after being called upon. They are two young talented players who can offer great quality. I’m very happy with Alisson’s goal and with Giovane’s contribution. Now we’re focused on our next game and want to keep working hard and make the most of our potential.”
Alisson Santos was crucial with his late equaliser and had this to say:
“I’m happy I scored and above all that I did in this wonderful, passionate stadium.
“I’ve just arrived, but I already have a great relationship with the team and love the environment. I want to keep this up because I really like being here in Naples with these special fans.”
Leonardo Spinazzola, who scored the first goal for Napoli, had this to say about the game:
“It was an important result. We did everything we could to complete a comeback and in the end we succeeded.
“Roma are a very tough opponent and they put us under a lot of pressure tonight, but we responded well and put in a great performance.”
Napoli 2-2 Roma (HT: 1-1)
Scorers: Malen 7, Spinazzola 40, Malen 71 pen., Alisson Santos 82
NAPOLI: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani (Alisson Santos 71), Buongiorno; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas (Gilmour 79), Spinazzola (Olivera 70) Politano (Mazzocchi 84), Vergara; (Giovane 79), Hojlund.
Coach: Conte.
ROMA: Svilar; Mancini, N’Dicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Pisilli (Al Aynaoui 66), Cristante, Wesley (Tsimykas 72), Zaragoza (Soule 46), Pellegrini (Venturino 65), Malen (Robinio Vaz 73).
Coach: Gasperini
Referee: Colombo
Booked: Mancini, Rrahmani
