Beukema, what a shame in the 89th minute: he should have defended the advantage, he sinks Napoli with his simulation

Sam Beukema had come on to close the gaps in Napoli's defence. Instead, he left them wide open. In the 89th minute, Napoli-Roma was 3-2. Allegri had brought him on in place of Badiashile, who was injured. Beukema failed to maintain a low defensive position, often came out of position incorrectly and was penalised in the action of Soulé's goal. But even more serious was what he did, or rather did not do, in the two goals scored by Balerdi. He had only one task: to stay close to the opponent and do everything to protect that result, which had an extraordinary value. He did the opposite. He acted.

It all started when he first fell near his penalty area. Then, when Castro passed him, he indulged in a shameful simulation. The first contact with Balerdi was ridiculous. He was lightly touched, nothing more. He had wasted time and had lost the opponent he was supposed to mark. The defender understood this and fell to the ground. He simulated a foul that did not exist and stood there, looking at referee Colombo in the hope that he would hear the whistle that would cancel the action. That would save him from responsibility, although he was certainly not the only one to blame, but he bore a large part of it. But the referee was not fooled. He let the game continue and did the right thing.

"The 3-3 goal? Beukema first falls to the ground, then gets up and falls again," Marelli analyzed on DAZN. "Balerdi covers Beukema with his body, who loses contact with the player because he is on the ground, while Balerdi jumps alone. There is a slight movement of the Roma player's right arm, but he touches him with his arm. The only contact I see is arm-to-arm, a very light contact. There is not enough reason to call the referee to the monitor for a review on the pitch," he explained. And that's where everything went wrong for Napoli.

The action continued and the ball reached Wesley, on the right wing. Beukema, as if he had been revived, immediately stood up, as if nothing had happened. He realized his mistake and tried to return to Balerdi, but it was too late. Too late. Balerdi had already bought the right time, broke away alone inside the small area and scored the equalizer 3-3. Beukema was a meter and a half away, watching the ball end up in the net. And what did he do next? He fell again when Castro passed him. It was the second time. He waited for the VAR to give a signal, as if falling twice made the first foul real. The check was quick, the contact minimal and the goal was confirmed. He made a big mistake, completely without reason. It was not bad luck. It was pure madness.

In the 89th minute, when you're ahead and have three points in the game, you shouldn't look for the referee. You should look for the opponent you're supposed to mark. You should catch him, stop him, even risk a yellow card. Whatever, but nothing should pass through your area. And for you to end up on the ground at that moment, a truck must have run over you. 

Fabio Bazzani said it better than anyone: “He enters the field to defend a 3-2 advantage and what does he do? He falls, gets up, then falls again after a light contact and loses the opponent he should mark. But what is this? For me to fall, a tank has to run over me. Lack of aggression”, were the words of the former footballer, who commented on the match in “Maradona”. Everything is right there. Lack of aggression and an attempt to throw him with a little cunning, instead of focusing on the opponent. It is difficult to know what went through his mind, but Beukema is not an inexperienced footballer. Apparently, he thought about the trick instead of thinking about the player he should mark. And in this way he sank Napoli.