Juventus 4-3 Napoli: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis

#1 Napoli shoot themselves in the foot after irresistible comeback

Napoli let the game slip in the dying moments of the match

Napoli were thoroughly outplayed in the first half and were lucky to trail by only two goals at the break. However, the tactical changes in the second period meant that they established a foothold in the game and they catapulted an improbable comeback off that platform.

When Ronaldo tripled Juventus’ advantage in the 62nd minute, many believed that the game was beyond the away side’s reach. To put things into perspective, quite a few labelled Manolas’ net-bulger in the 66th minute as being a consolation.

However, they turned the tables on the home side emphatically with a two-goal salvo in the succeeding fifteen minutes.

Lozano halved the deficit eight minutes after the hour mark while Di Lorenzo restored parity with nine minutes of normal time remaining.

Yet, just when it seemed that Napoli had salvaged a draw, they conspired to undo their hard work, gifting Juventus the winner in stoppage time.

Pjanic clipped a seemingly harmless free-kick from the right side and each of the hosts’ attacking players looked off-side. Thus, at that juncture, there seemed to be minimal danger.

However, a moment of madness by Koulibaly, which culminated with him slicing the ball into his own net handed the Bianconeri the match on a platter.

Having said that though, it was a tad ironic that one of Napoli’s most trusted lieutenants was the one who let the match slip from its grasp.

After all, football and irony has developed into quite a love story over the years.