Napoli faced a challenging match against struggling Lecce, ultimately securing a narrow 1-0 victory that maintained their position at the top of the Serie A standings. Giovanni Di Lorenzo played a pivotal role, having one goal disallowed before scoring the decisive goal in the 73rd minute.
The match saw the return of goalkeeper Alex Meret after a month-long absence due to injury. Billy Gilmour continued to fill in for the sidelined Stanislav Lobotka, while David Neres and Cyril Ngonge made their first Serie A starts for Napoli. Lecce, on the other hand, was still reeling from a heavy 6-0 defeat to Fiorentina, missing key players like Antonino Gallo due to suspension and several others due to injuries.
In the first half, Napoli thought they had taken the lead when Di Lorenzo tapped in a rebound after a shot from Ngonge was saved. However, VAR ruled Di Lorenzo offside. Lecce posed some threats on counter-attacks, with Santiago Pierotti nearly scoring and Federico Baschirotto’s header being saved by Meret.
The second half brought more intensity. A controversial moment occurred when Matteo Politano’s header was met with a clash of heads with Lameck Banda, but the referee deemed it accidental. Napoli finally broke the deadlock when Scott McTominay’s header from a corner was parried by Lecce’s goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone, allowing Di Lorenzo to score from close range.
Despite opportunities for both sides, including missed chances for Lukaku and Raspadori, Napoli held firm to secure all three points. Lecce’s struggles continued as they remained near the bottom of the table, having scored only three goals in nine matches this season.
Goals: Di Lorenzo 73 (N)
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Gilmour (dal 72′ Raspadori), McTominay; Ngonge (dal 57′ Politano), Lukaku (dall’86’ Folorunsho), Neres (dal 72′ Kvaratskhelia)
Lecce (4-3-3): Falcone; Pelmard, Baschirotto, Gaspar, Dorgu; Coulibaly (dal 78′ Rebic), Rafia (dal 71′ Pierret), Ramadani; Pierotti (dall’84’ Oudin), Krstovic, Banda (dal 71′ Sansone)
