Drama in Naples: Gilmour Scores First Goal as Spinazzola Shines

Napoli kept their 100% start to the Serie A season alive, but they had to fight harder than expected to beat newly-promoted Pisa 3-2 on Monday night. Antonio Conte’s men remain top of the table with four wins from four, though the closing minutes brought plenty of nerves.

First Goal for Gilmour

For much of the first half, Napoli dominated the ball but couldn’t find a way through Pisa’s compact defence. The breakthrough finally came six minutes before the interval. Leonardo Spinazzola drove down the left and cut the ball back into the box. After a clever dummy, it reached Billy Gilmour, who rifled in his first ever senior club goal to give Napoli a deserved 1-0 lead.

Pisa Hit Back

The underdogs didn’t fold. Ten minutes into the second half, Pisa won a penalty for handball, and M’Bala Nzola coolly tucked it away to make it 1-1. The home crowd fell silent for a moment, but Napoli’s quality soon showed again.

Spinazzola was the hero once more in the 73rd minute, smashing a low shot past the keeper to restore the lead. With eight minutes left, Scott McTominay set up Lorenzo Lucca, who calmly slotted in to make it 3-1 against his former club. At that point, it looked over.

Late Drama

But Pisa had one last twist in them. A poor clearance from Giovanni Di Lorenzo gifted possession to Samuele Angori, who crossed for Lorran to finish in the 90th minute. Suddenly it was 3-2, and Napoli’s fans were holding their breath as Pisa pushed for a late equaliser.

Conte’s men managed to see it out, but the final whistle was greeted with relief. “At 3-1 it should have been done,” admitted Spinazzola. “We must control games better.”

Top of the Table

Napoli’s win means they sit on 12 points from four games, keeping them ahead of Juventus. For Pisa, the defeat leaves them stuck near the bottom, but their spirited performance suggested they won’t be pushovers this season.