Napoli Overpower Lazio in Chaotic Night of Goals and Red Cards
Politano inspires dominant win despite depleted squad
Napoli swept aside Lazio with a commanding performance built on Matteo Politano’s creativity, but the match descended into chaos with three red cards and an injury scare for David Neres.
Antonio Conte’s side were without several key players including Romelu Lukaku, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour, yet they showed little sign of disruption. Lazio, meanwhile, arrived short-handed themselves and struggled to cope with Napoli’s intensity.
Napoli strike early and take control
Napoli opened the scoring when Politano delivered a precise cross from the right. Leonardo Spinazzola ghosted in at the back post and volleyed home with little pressure, giving the hosts a deserved lead.
The advantage was doubled soon after from another Politano delivery. His floated free kick found Amir Rrahmani completely unmarked inside the area and the defender guided a simple header past the goalkeeper. Lazio appealed for a foul amid the pushing in the box, but VAR saw no infringement.
Lazio briefly threatened a response when Tijjani Noslin robbed Rrahmani and cut the ball back for Matteo Cancellieri, though Scott McTominay blocked the effort. Napoli nearly made it three before the break as Eljif Elmas nodded David Neres’ cross onto the crossbar from close range.
Injury concern and missed chances after the break
Napoli continued to press after the restart, while Lazio struggled to create clear openings. David Neres was forced off with a suspected ankle sprain, adding to Conte’s concerns despite his side’s control of the game.
Elmas again went close, failing to convert Pasquale Mazzocchi’s cross, while Gustav Isaksen caused brief problems after coming on for Lazio but found himself crowded out by Napoli’s defence.
Red cards overshadow the contest
The game turned increasingly ill-tempered. Noslin received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Alessandro Buongiorno, leaving Lazio down to ten men.
Moments later, tempers boiled over again as Mazzocchi and Adam Marušić clashed near the touchline. Both players were shown straight red cards after a heated confrontation, with Conte even stepping in to try to calm the situation.
Despite the dismissals, Lazio nearly found a late lifeline when Matteo Guendouzi’s header from a free kick crashed against the crossbar in stoppage time.
Napoli march on
Napoli saw out the closing stages comfortably to seal an important victory, while Lazio’s disciplinary problems deepened as their red card count continued to rise.
