Napoli 3-3 Roma: McTominay and Balerdi braces light up Derby del Sole epic
An instant classic in Naples
Napoli and Roma produced a six-goal thriller at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, sharing the spoils in a 3-3 Derby del Sole that swung one way and then the other until the final whistle. Frank Anguissa's spectacular bicycle kick, a Scott McTominay brace and a Leonardo Balerdi double off the bench left both sides with a point in a frantic, fiery encounter.
Both teams were coming off midweek Champions League victories, but in very different Serie A form and mood. The Partenopei badly needed to get back on track in Serie A after a 3-1 defeat to Venezia, while Roma arrived as genuine title contenders. Napoli were without Alisson Santos, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno, with Amir Rrahmani suffering from flu symptoms and Antonio Vergara on the bench, while Kevin De Bruyne was again deployed in a deeper playmaker role he was not fond of. Roma, meanwhile, were without Lorenzo Pellegrini — who sustained a serious injury in a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava — as well as Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné and Mile Svilar, though Donyell Malen returned from suspension and Bryan Cristante made his first start in well over a month.
Anguissa's acrobatic opener
The hosts started the brighter of the two sides. Alex Meret was alert to keep out Malen's driven effort with his legs, and Rasmus Hojlund saw a shot blocked by Marten de Roon before Devyne Rensch produced a desperate clearance to prevent Noa Lang tapping in Giovanni Di Lorenzo's roll across from a couple of yards out.
Napoli got their deserved opener in the 28th minute in spectacular fashion. Matteo Politano's free kick was cleared by De Roon only as far as Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, who unleashed an acrobatic bicycle-kick from 14 yards that looped into the far top corner, leaving Pierluigi Gollini rooted to the spot. There were further chances either side of the break — Gollini produced a fine save to deny Mathías Olivera from close range with Cristante clearing the rebound off the line, while Cristante's glancing header on a set play thumped the base of the far post at the other end, and Mario Hermoso saw an effort deflected inches wide.
McTominay doubles the advantage
Napoli doubled their lead three minutes after the restart. Politano stood up a cross from the right and McTominay rose to glance a diving header into the back post, which Gollini tried and failed to claw off the line from point-blank range. The Scotland international had not scored at all this season until his brace against Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League, so these were his first Serie A goals of the campaign. Benoit Badiashile limped off clutching his right thigh, and Rafa Marin made a crucial interception as De Roon tried to set up a Malen tap-in.
Roma refuse to lie down
The Giallorossi pulled one back in the 69th minute through Matias Soulé, who curled a fine left-foot finish into the far corner after a tidy one-two with Malen. Just five minutes later they were level. Evan Ndicka won the initial header from De Roon's corner, and though the ball was knocked down by Santiago Castro, Balerdi was on hand to lash the loose ball into the roof of the net from close range.
McTominay restores Napoli's lead — then Balerdi strikes again
Massimiliano Allegri's changes could not immediately restore Napoli's advantage, but it came from one of his starters. Gollini parried a Leonardo Spinazzola solo effort and was still scrambling when McTominay drilled hard and low from distance into the far bottom corner in the 83rd minute, seemingly securing all three points for the hosts with his second of the night.
There was still time for one last twist. Wesley stood up a cross from the right wing and Balerdi timed his run perfectly to head past Meret in the 89th minute, snatching a point for the visitors. Napoli were furious, feeling Sam Beukema had been fouled in the build-up, but the nudge in the ribs from Balerdi seemed insufficient, and Allegri was sent off from the touchline for dissent.
What it means
Sitting mid-table in the early Serie A standings, Napoli would have hugely benefited from a hard-earned victory against Roma, but Gian Piero Gasperini's side proved why they are title challengers. Gollini made five saves to ensure Roma had a chance to win at least a point, with Napoli accumulating 2.34 expected goals (xG) to the visitors' 1.86 from 24 shots.
Not many would have imagined Balerdi — who had not scored a league goal since the 2023-24 season, when he was at Marseille — to bag a brace off the bench. Roma, by contrast, will need contributions from across the squad if they are to mount a serious title charge.
McTominay, meanwhile, was denied the headlines despite his double. Since his move to Serie A (2024-25), the Scotland international is the midfielder in the top five European leagues who has scored the most headed goals across all competitions: 11, followed by Casemiro and Corentin Tolisso with 10. Nevertheless, Roma keep themselves within touching distance of Inter and Lazio for the time being, while Napoli could drop into the bottom half of the table by the end of the weekend, placing more pressure on Allegri's shoulders.