Napoli 3-3 Roma: McTominay and Balerdi score twice, Allegri sent off

Napoli and Roma drew 3-3 in a dramatic Serie A match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Napoli twice held the lead, at 2-0 and 3-2, thanks to Frank Anguissa and two goals from Scott McTominay, but Roma hit back each time, and centre-back Leonardo Balerdi headed a 89th-minute equaliser to keep Gian Piero Gasperini's side unbeaten in the league.

The result leaves Roma third in Serie A on 18 points and Massimiliano Allegri's Napoli tenth on 11 points. Allegri was sent off from the touchline after the late equaliser.

How the six goals were scored

Napoli broke the deadlock in the 28th minute in spectacular fashion. A Matteo Politano free kick was only half-cleared, and Anguissa met the loose ball with an overhead kick from around 14 yards. It was the Cameroon midfielder's first goal in close to a year.

Three minutes after half-time Napoli doubled the lead. Politano crossed from the right and McTominay dived to head in at the back post — the Scotland midfielder's first Serie A goal of the season.

Roma responded after Gasperini made a triple change on 58 minutes, bringing on Nahuel Molina, Balerdi and Santiago Castro. In the 69th minute Matías Soulé played a one-two with Donyell Malen and curled a left-footed shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Five minutes later Castro knocked down a corner and Balerdi finished from close range to make it 2-2.

Napoli went back in front in the 83rd minute. Roma goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini parried a shot from substitute Leonardo Spinazzola, and McTominay drove a low shot from outside the area into the bottom left corner.

The final twist came in the 89th minute. Wesley crossed from the left and Balerdi's header hit the upright and crossed the line. The goal was confirmed after a VAR check, despite Napoli's complaints that Sam Beukema had been pushed in the build-up.

Minute	Team	Scorer	Score
28'	Napoli	Frank Anguissa (overhead kick)	1-0
48'	Napoli	Scott McTominay (header)	2-0
69'	Roma	Matías Soulé	2-1
74'	Roma	Leonardo Balerdi	2-2
83'	Napoli	Scott McTominay	3-2
89'	Roma	Leonardo Balerdi (header)	3-3

Match statistics

Roma had the better of the numbers despite trailing for most of the game.

Statistic	Napoli	Roma
Possession	39%	61%
Shots	15	24
Corners	2	11
Saves	1	5
Yellow cards	1	4

Both goalkeepers were busy. Gollini made several saves for Roma, including one from Rasmus Højlund at point-blank range, while Marten de Roon and Devyne Rensch blocked chances from Højlund and Noa Lang near the line. At the other end, Bryan Cristante headed against the base of the post and Alex Meret denied Malen.

Team news and context

Napoli were short of players. Alisson Santos, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno were all missing, Amir Rrahmani had flu symptoms, and defender Benoît Badiashile limped off with a thigh problem in the 51st minute. Politano also went off injured midway through the second half. Kevin De Bruyne played in a deeper playmaking role and was replaced in the 79th minute.

Allegri's side came into the game under pressure after a 3-1 league defeat to Venezia, although they had beaten Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League in midweek.

Roma arrived on the back of a 4-0 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, but that game cost them captain Lorenzo Pellegrini to a serious injury. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné and first-choice goalkeeper Mile Svilar were also unavailable. Malen returned from suspension and Cristante made his first start in over a month.

Standings after the match

Pos	Team	Played	Points
1	Inter	7	19
2	Lazio	7	19
3	Roma	8	18
4	Como	8	17
5	AC Milan	7	15
10	Napoli	8	11

Standings as they stood at the final whistle in Naples; several clubs still had round-eight matches to play.

What it means

For Roma the point extends an unbeaten league start of five wins and three draws under Gasperini, and the way they fought back twice despite a long injury list will encourage the club's title hopes. Balerdi, a substitute, finished as the match-winner in all but name.

For Napoli it is another missed chance. Allegri's team have now taken only one point from their last two league games and sit eight points off the top. Allegri's sending-off will be reviewed by the league's disciplinary judge, who could hand him a touchline ban.

What happens next

Serie A round eight continues on Sunday, with leaders Inter and AC Milan among the clubs still to play. Both clubs return to European action in the coming days before round nine of the league.