Napoli Consolidate Their Lead and Push Roma out of Champions spots

Nigerian Victor Osimhen's solitary goal in the game's final stages on Sunday decided the Derby of the Sun against Roma (0-1). Roma now has a three-point lead at the top of Serie A over title holders AC Milan. This result relegated Mourinho's side to fifth place, outside of clinching a Champions League place. Although Napoli maintains a solid lead, they did not show the dominance displayed so far this season, held by a great version of the giallorossi Roma team.

A High-Octane Game

Rome's Stadio Olimpico hosted a physical and intense duel between two teams that are having a great start to their season. Mourinho and former Roma coach Spalletti went all out for the Derby del Sole. And it showed. It was a hard-fought, intense first half (the referee showed seven yellow cards), full of individual duels given the high man-to-man pressure exerted by both teams. And yet, clear score chances were scarce.

Defender Smalling and striker Osimhen played a very physical duel on one side of the pitch (which earned Smalling a yellow card in the 21st minute) while Kim Min-Jae and Abraham battled on the other. However, Roma’s Zaniolo provided quality and generated most of the danger for the Loba, while Lozano did it in turn for Napoli.

Benches Played Their Part

21-year-old Kvicha Kvaratskehlia, the new star of Serie A, attracted all the attention. But he could not make the most of his talent this time, well covered and marked by Karsdop and Mancini. The tension was felt both on the pitch and the benches, with Spalletti and Mourinho very much on top of their players and the refereeing staff.

This was especially true of the Portuguese, who was one of the attractions of the first act, angry with every refereeing decision. Mourinho argued every play, gave instructions to his players, rallied the fans, and demanded explanations from the linesman. In fact, the assistant referee ended up being the protagonist in the key event of the first 45 minutes. Mourinho angrily protested the penalty called on goalkeeper Rui Patricio, which finally, through VAR, the head referee ruled out. The footage showed how Patricio’s fingers ever-so-lightly diverted the ball away from Osimhen’s foot. Roma’s bench and fans loudly celebrated the referee’s final decision.

Napoli Dominated the Second Half

Napoli sent warning shots right from the start of the second half. The danger of Kvaratskehlia lies in the fact that he does not need to be remarkably accurate to be a true threat, as he can draw defenders away from their position. He proved it again this Sunday with a cut inside the area and a powerful shot that Smalling blocked halfway. Napoli continued having good chances and near misses by Lozano, Juan Jesus, and substitute Elmas.

In the 57th minute, Mourinho saw a yellow card for another excessive protest to a referee's decision. The Roma coach made his move and brought on Bellotti for Abraham who, despite his untiring dedication, did not generate much danger up front.

It was not until the 70th minute that the clear chances came, but they did in quick succession. Roma struck first with a good counterattack through Pellegrini, who did not control well inside the box and assisted an uncomfortable Camara, who didn’t quite strike on goal. However, midfielder Lobotka, quick, skillful, and intelligent, went to the ground and just managed to get the ball back to set up the counterattack. Elmas drove the ball deep for Osimhen, and the Nigerian fired a wide cross.

Coach Spalletti also saw the yellow card. The tension went from side to side and bench to bench, depending on who was in control of the match at any given moment. Neither one of the coaches seemed to find a way out of the deadlock.

Spalletti's Boys Found the Master Key

But amid so much ball possession and fruitless attacks, Osimhen appeared to tip the scales, supported by good defensive actions. The Nigerian, known for not giving a ball for lost, won the duel with Smalling, and from the right side, he volleyed the ball in from an acute angle to surprise Rui Patricio. Roma could not quite recover after the goal, and Napoli used the remaining minutes to pass the ball sideways and put in two additional substitutes.

Napoli filed away their eleventh straight win and now sit more leaders than ever this season. They got the job done in the Champions League, took three difficult points from the Italian capital, and left Roma behind in fifth place. Mourinho’s side is currently out of the next Champions League and has the urgency to beat Finnish HJK in the Europa League on Thursday.