Davide Frattesi put Serie A leaders Lazio ahead at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday, but an own goal by substitute Alfonso Pedraza early in the second half earned Napoli a 1-1 draw.
The point keeps Gennaro Gattuso's Lazio top and unbeaten after 11 league games, though it ends their run of six straight wins. Massimiliano Allegri's Napoli, beaten at Juventus last weekend, move on to 15 points going into the international break.
Match facts
- Result: Napoli 1-1 Lazio (half-time 0-1)
- Competition: Serie A Enilive, Matchday 11
- Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples
- Scorers: Napoli - Pedraza 49' (og); Lazio - Frattesi 28'
- Assist: Noslin (28')
- Red cards: None
- Referee: Luca Pairetto
- Next: Napoli v Torino and Lazio v Lecce, both Saturday 21 November
How the match unfolded
Lazio started at a fierce pace. Inside the first minute Rafa Marín gave the ball away and Gustav Isaksen curled a shot just wide of the post. Isaksen then forced Vanja Milinković-Savić into a diving save from distance, and Milinković-Savić came to Napoli's rescue again in the 17th minute, keeping out a header from Josip Šutalo after a corner.
Napoli's best early chance fell to Noa Lang, whose low shot in the 13th minute was pushed away by Christos Mandas.
The visitors went ahead in the 28th minute with a quick counter-attack. Tijjani Noslin broke down the left and slipped the ball through to Frattesi, who got in ahead of Amir Rrahmani and finished low with his left foot.
Lazio lost Šutalo to injury soon afterwards, with Diogo Leite coming on in the 33rd minute. Napoli almost levelled just before the break: Mathías Olivera pulled the ball back from the left byline and Rasmus Højlund's close-range effort was stopped on the line by Mandas. The home side went in a goal down and were whistled off by their own supporters.
Gattuso replaced Nuno Tavares with Pedraza at half-time, and Napoli were level four minutes after the restart. Lang crossed from the left, and as Højlund and Scott McTominay attacked the ball, Pedraza got there first and turned it into his own net.
Napoli pushed for a winner. Mandas blocked a McTominay shot on the counter-attack shortly after the equaliser, and around the hour Kevin De Bruyne was sent clean through but could not beat the Lazio goalkeeper.
Both coaches turned to their benches. Lazio sent on Manuel Lazzari and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in the 61st minute, while Allegri brought on Frank Anguissa, Lorenzo Lucca and Matteo Politano. The game became more broken in the closing stages and neither side could find a second goal.
What the draw means
Lazio have 29 points from 11 matches and will stay top over the international break, two points clear of Roma. Other Matchday 11 games were still to be played at the time of writing.
For Napoli, the point stops a run of two straight defeats in all competitions after the 2-0 loss at Juventus and a Champions League defeat in midweek. They have 15 points from 11 games. Højlund and De Bruyne, both on target in last month's 4-1 win at Monza, were each denied by Mandas this time.
What happens next?
After the break, Lazio host Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 21 November (14:00 UK), and Napoli are at home to Torino the same evening (19:45 UK). More from the round is in our Serie A section.
Follow BetAlert: Telegram · WhatsApp · Discord — and check any betting account for free at BetAlert.