Como stuns title-chasing Napoli

Express Tribune

23-02-2025

Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori in action with Como's Ivan Smolcic and Gabriel Strefezza during their Serie A match at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como on February 23. PHOTO: REUTERS
Napoli missed the chance to return to the top of Serie A in a stunning 2-1 loss to Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday, as the title-chasing visitors' winless streak extended to four matches.
Napoli suffered their first defeat in 11 Serie A matches and remain second with 56 points from 26 games, one point behind reigning champions Inter Milan. Promoted Como are 13th on 28 points.
Napoli got off to a nightmare start when Kosovan centre back Amir Rrahmani gifted the lead to Como in the seventh minute by sending Matteo Politano's throw-in into his own net, with goalkeeper Alex Meret well off his line, to the despair of manager Antonio Conte.
Ten minutes later, forward Giacomo Raspadori pounced on some sloppy defending to slot the ball past Como keeper Jean Butez and level things up for Napoli.
However, winger Assane Diao netted a 77th-minute winner for Como with a stunning finish after picking up midfielder Nico Paz's precise pass. The 19-year-old Diao has now scored in three straight Serie A games.
"I'm enjoying myself, every day even in training, and I think this also shows on the pitch. I have to thank the team, the coach and the club for everything they are giving me," Como match-winner Diao told DAZN.
"I have to be free on the pitch, I feel a lot of the confidence that (Como head coach Cesc) Fabregas gives me and this allows me to be free on the pitch."
Apart from the own-goal blunder, Napoli were the better side with 60% possession in the opening half and looked more threatening.
But Como were far superior after the break and their efforts were not in vain as they clinched their second Serie A victory over Napoli, with the first coming in 1952.
Scott McTominay nearly put Napoli ahead in the second half but Butez was in place to deny the midfielder. Rrahmani nearly snatched what would have been a crucial point for Napoli in the dying minutes of the game but his shot went just wide.
"It's definitely a setback that hurts because of the way it came, because on a mental level we showed cracks, just like in the last three games where we always got caught up," Conte said.
"I think the boys are really giving their best but we need to make a path and give time to grow, not only from a technical-tactical point of view but also in terms of mentality.
"Then we've been playing since the beginning of the year with this pressure, which fortunately we brought on ourselves: being there at the top of the table or at least being close.
"This was absolutely not expected. Now we have to face it in the best way, trying to analyse why in the second half the others showed more nastiness, they won all the duels, they had more hunger and more desire."
Napoli next host Inter, who beat Genoa 1-0 at home on Saturday, in a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next Saturday.
Inter take top spot after 1-0 win over Genoa
A goal from Lautaro Martinez was enough to earn Inter Milan a 1-0 win over Genoa at the San Siro on Saturday and send the home side provisionally top of the Serie A standings.
The win moved Inter to 57 points, one ahead of Napoli who are away to Como on Sunday, while Genoa are 12th on 30 points.
Inter came into the game on the back of a disappointing run, with one win in their last four matches and, with a top-of-the-table clash with Napoli coming up in a week's time, were badly in need of a confidence boost.
The hosts laid siege to the Genoa half in the opening 10 minutes without ever really creating a clear-cut chance.
Inter could find no way through, their every foray into the Genoa area blocked by a determined and disciplined defence and neither keeper was troubled in an opening half short on entertainment.
Joaquin Correa, making just his second start of the campaign, limped off at the break forcing Inter into a change, with Mehdi Taremi coming on for the second half.
Inter were already without the injured Marcus Thuram and were sorely missing their top scorer in the league this season.