Naples, September 13, 2026 – And that makes three defeats in the first four outings. After Lazio at home and Bergamo, Bologna also falls in Naples, where Allegri and the Azzurri, coming off three consecutive losses in league and cup, breathe a sigh of relief, rejuvenated by the inclusion of Lobotka, who outshines the substitute Libra and scores past Pessina – starting goalkeeper at the Maradona instead of Skorupski who, according to reports, arrived late to the last pre-match technical meeting –. A fair result, also because Napoli controlled the game, far from the submissive attitude they had shown before tonight in Serie A and Champions League, while Bologna defended, even decently in the first half, but did not create chances, did not keep possession, and rarely shot.
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First half
Flop, as against Sassuolo, but at least in that case the Rossoblù managed to snatch a point, the only one collected so far out of twelve available: little. Very little. Theate gave false hope at 7’, from a well-delivered free kick into the box, a winning header behind Milinkovic-Savic: goal. But the VAR quickly dampened the enthusiasm, offside and play restarts.
Napoli reacted almost immediately with Hojlund, on a rash exit by Pessina, spared by the Danish player’s mistimed header. Here the first half could already be summed up, played at a low pace with few highlights from either side. Vergara, Bernardeschi, and Pobega were the last to try, but without even remotely leaving a mark.
Second half
Second half, and Allegri reshuffles his Napoli: his choices, soon proven right, are Lang and Favasuli. Tarozzi – on the bench instead of the suspended Tedesco, present in the stands in Naples – waits until the hour mark for the first substitutions: Moro, Odgaard, and Libra, for Pobega, Piccoli, and Amondarain (all three insufficient). Seconds later, Napoli scores. Substitute Favasuli causes chaos on the right, ball in the middle and Lobotka is there, at the near post, under the legs of the helpless Pessina. This will be enough for the Azzurri, while Bologna, led in the final minutes by the “new” Mbangula and Enem, will need much more. Starting Saturday at the Dall’Ara against Torino, at 3 pm, the last appointment before the long early autumn break. One point, but still many questions about choices and the team, after a completely upside-down start to the season.
Match summary
NAPOLI 1
BOLOGNA 0
Napoli (4-3-3): Milinkovic-Savic, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola, Gilmour, Lobotka, De Bruyne (43′ st Olivera), Politano (1′ st Favasuli), Hojlund (29′ st Lucca), Vergara (1′ st Lang). (14 Contini, 12 Pugliese, 5 Badiashile, 31 Beukema, 7 Neres). Coach: Allegri.
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Pessina, Holm, Theate, Heggem, Miranda, Pobega (12′ st Libra), Ferguson, Amondarain (20′ st Moro), Bernardeschi (37′ st Mbangula), Piccoli (12′ st Odgaard), Cambiaghi (37′ st Enem). (1 Skorupski, 82 Franceschelli, 5 Helland, 16 Casale, 23 Alhassane, 29 De Silvestri, 41 Vitik). Coach: Tedesco.
Referee: Bonacina from Bergamo.
Goals: 20′ st Lobotka.
Corners: 10-0 for Napoli.
Injury time: 3′ and 5′.
Yellow cards: Amondarain for foul play.
Attendance: 41 thousand.
