Napoli swiftly overcame Lazio, with Matteo Politano providing assists for both Leonardo Spinazzola and Amir Rrahmani. However, the match was marked by tension, featuring three red cards and an injury to David Neres.
Tijjani Noslin attempted to nod down the cross from Matteo Cancellieri instead of shooting for goal himself, but it was Napoli who gained the advantage when Matteo Politano delivered a cross from the right, allowing Leonardo Spinazzola to volley home with relative ease at the back post.
Napoli extended their advantage when Politano delivered a well-placed free kick into the box, locating Amir Rrahmani, who had a completely unmarked header from 10 yards, guiding it in effortlessly without the need to leap. Lazio appealed for a foul due to the pushing and shoving in the area, but VAR confirmed that play should continue.
Lazio posed a threat shortly after, with Noslin intercepting Rrahmani, but he could only set up Cancellieri’s attempt, which was blocked by Scott McTominay.
Eljif Elmas came close to making it 3-0, heading David Neres’ cross onto the bar from just six yards out.
No one was positioned to receive the pull-back from Luca Pellegrini on the left after the restart, and David Neres exited the field with a potential ankle sprain.
Gustav Isaksen entered the match as a substitute and was thwarted by Juan Jesus, resulting in a corner kick. Meanwhile, Elmas once more missed an opportunity to score with a header, this time from Pasquale Mazzocchi’s cross.
Lazio’s situation deteriorated further as they acknowledged their poor disciplinary record. Noslin was issued a yellow card following a confrontation with Rrahmani, and then received a second yellow just 12 minutes later for a careless, though not intentional, challenge on Alessandro Buongiorno.
A fresh altercation broke out between Pasquale Mazzocchi and Adam Marusic, resulting in both players being dismissed after Antonio Conte intervened on the touchline, bringing Lazio’s total red cards this season to seven.
The match continued, and during stoppage time, Matteo Guendouzi’s header struck the crossbar from a free kick.
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