Napoli Player Ratings vs Napoli: Team Lets Down Raspadori | OneFootball

Serie A leaders Napoli shared the spoils with top-four hopefuls Lazio in a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico. Antonio Conte failed to enact revenge on Marco Baroni after back-to-back defeats in December.

With only a point separating them from runners-up Inter ahead of the kick-off, victory was imperative for Napoli.

Lazio enjoyed a dream start to the match. Gustav Isaksen scored an absolute stunner in the sixth minute, rifling home a long-range rocket, which bounced off the crossbar into the net. Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret could only applaud the Dane for a fabulous strike.

However, it didn’t take long before Napoli drew level. Giacomo Raspadori received the ball from Romelu Lukaku and, in a one-on-one situation with Ivan Provedel, squeezed the ball through the keeper’s legs to put things back to square one.

Despite dominating possession for the rest of the first half, Napoli failed to muster another shot on target but did keep Lazio’s attack quiet. Yet, Baroni’s side had the first promising chance in the second half.

Isaksen latched onto Nuno Tavares’ cutback just inside the box but skyed his first-time effort well over the bar. Napoli almost immediately punished their hosts, as an unfortunate deflection of Adam Marusic ended in the back of the net.

Satisfied with a slender lead, Napoli dropped deep in the final half an hour. However, Lazio refused to give up and eventually found an equalizer through second-half substitute Boulaye Dia in the 87th minute. It was nothing less than they deserved for their spirited performance.

Napoli (3-5-2)

Alex Meret – 5

The Italian stopper let Isaksen’s thunderbolt knock him off his perch as he conceded again late, even though he could’ve done better.

Amir Rrahmani – 6

Taty Castellanos and Tijjani Noslin made the Kosovo international’s life a nightmare. It’s no wonder Napoli went to great lengths to sign a new central defender in January.

Alessandro Buongiorno – 7

Despite faring much better than his fellow defensive colleagues, the ex-Torino star fell victim to Conte’s tactical change at the hour mark.

Juan Jesus – 6.5

His excellent positioning and tactical awareness allowed him to neutralize several attacking threats. His composure on the ball was a plus.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6

Frequently outpaced by Nuno Tavares, the birthday boy wasn’t up to his high standard today.

Scott McTominay – 6

The former Manchester United midfielder looked tireless but didn’t contribute much in attack.

Stanislav Lobotka – 6.5

Although he didn’t take risks in possession, the Slovakian held up his end of the bargain, proving dependable as a midfield anchor.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 6.5

Following an unenviable first-half showing, highlighted by a needless yellow card, the Cameroonian grew into the contest. Had his hand in the second goal.

Pasquale Mazzocchi – 5.5

Swooped in for the injured Leonardo Spinazzola, Mazzocchi wasn’t an attacking threat Conte might have expected, often struggling to beat Adam Marusic for pace.

Giacomo Raspadori – 7.5

Back to the starting line-up after David Neres’ injury, the diminutive forward netted a confidence-boosting goal with a poacher’s finish and remained heavily involved in every attacking movement.

Romelu Lukaku – 7

In addition to assisting Raspadori for the goal, the robust striker won virtually every aerial duel against Alessio Romagnoli, constantly keeping the Lazio captain on the back foot.

Substitutes