The match of the eighth week of Serie A ended 3-3. Napoli took the lead twice, first by two goals and then by 3-2, but Roma managed to equalize in the end with a goal scored by Balerdi. The capital team remains in the top three of the standings. De Bruyne played a dual role in building the actions and in the defensive phase. In the 27th minute, Anguissa scored a spectacular goal with a header, giving Napoli a 1-0 advantage. Gollini made three saves before the end of the first half, especially important ones against Olivera. In the 48th minute, McTominay doubled the figures. Initially, the goalkeeper managed to stop the midfielder's header, but the Scot scored on the second attempt, from close range.
The injury to Badiashile, replaced by Beukema, affected Napoli's defensive consistency. Roma brought on Castro and switched to a three-man attack. In the 70th minute, Malen set up Soulé, who fired in from the edge of the area to make it 2-1. Four minutes later, after a corner kick, Balerdi took advantage of a rebound and headed it into the net, levelling the score at 2-2. Castro came close to scoring the goal that would have given Roma the lead. In the 83rd minute, Olivera found McTominay, who scored Napoli's third goal, making it 3-2. But in the 88th minute, Balerdi, the former Marseille defender, scored his second goal of the game to make it 3-3. Napoli protested a contact with Beukema, which according to the team did not constitute a foul. Allegri reacted harshly to the decision and in the 90th minute was expelled from the match. The referee awarded six minutes of extra time, but the result did not change. Gasperini's Roma remains in third place with 18 points, while Napoli moves to 11 points and considers this draw as a missed opportunity.
Serie A Italy
Cagliari 0-2 Bologna
Como 1907 2-0 Sassuolo
Napoli 3-3 AS Roma
