Napoli Maintain Serie A Lead with 1-0 Win Over Roma

Romelu Lukaku's Strike Gives Napoli Narrow Victory Over Roma

Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar made a spectacular double save to deny Napoli...

Napoli maintained their position at the top of Serie A with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Roma, courtesy of Romelu Lukaku's goal.

Romelu Lukaku played a crucial role against his former club, helping Napoli maintain their lead in Serie A and handing Claudio Ranieri a losing start to his latest stint as Roma coach. Ranieri, who has previously managed Roma twice, began his third tenure in charge of the Giallorossi.

Ranieri's squad selection was influenced by several injury concerns, with Paulo Dybala and Mats Hummels only fit enough for the bench. Mario Hermoso, Eldor Shomurodov, and Alexis Saelemaekers were all unavailable. Despite these absences, Ranieri opted for a four-man defense in his debut match.

Napoli, meanwhile, welcomed Stanislav Lobotka back into their starting lineup after a 51-day absence. The Partenopei were eager to secure a victory to maintain their top spot in Serie A. They created an early scoring opportunity, but Kvicha Kvaratskhelia squandered a free header in the second minute, directing Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cross wide of the target.

Scott McTominay and Matteo Politano both came close to scoring for Napoli, but their efforts went wide. McTominay missed the target after Romelu Lukaku's clever back-heel flick, while Politano's curling shot skimmed the crossbar. Nicolò Pisilli also tested Alex Meret from distance, but the Napoli goalkeeper was equal to the task.

Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar made a spectacular double save to deny Napoli. First, he blocked Scott McTominay's angled drive at the near post, and then he thwarted Romelu Lukaku's follow-up attempt. Svilar's heroics kept Roma in the game, but Napoli continued to dominate possession.

After the restart, Roma coach Claudio Ranieri introduced Mats Hummels and Tommaso Baldanzi, switching to a 3-5-2 formation. However, Napoli maintained their control over the game, and Romelu Lukaku came close to scoring with a header from a corner kick routine that whistled wide.

The breakthrough finally came when Giovanni Di Lorenzo chested down a cross-field pass and pulled the ball back low from the right. Romelu Lukaku slid in to meet the cross, beating Mile Svilar and Mats Hummels to the ball to score against his former club from six yards out.

Tommaso Baldanzi had two clear opportunities to equalize for Roma. First, he ballooned a first-time shot over the bar from 14 yards out after Angelino's pull-back. However, his most glaring miss came on 66 minutes, when Artem Dovbyk's header from a free kick thumped the crossbar from close range.

Napoli's substitutes nearly added a second goal to seal the win. Michael Folorunsho's header sailed wide, while David Neres' ferocious left-footed shot from the edge of the area bent inches past the post, narrowly missing the target.