Como shock Napoli 2-1 at the Maradona as Fabregas’ charge claim statement win
Cesc Fabregas’ Como punished costly Napoli mistakes to claim a deserved 2-1 victory at the Maradona, with Martin Baturina and Tasos Douvikas cancelling out Rasmus Højlund’s equaliser.
Como produced one of the early statements of the Serie A season on Sunday, defeating Napoli 2-1 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to hand Massimiliano Allegri his first league defeat as the hosts’ manager.
Napoli entered the contest looking to build on their opening-day victory over Genoa, while Como were seeking their first win after drawing with Udinese, but Cesc Fabregas’ visitors quickly demonstrated that they were not at the stadium merely to defend.
Como enjoyed much of the early possession and eventually took the lead in the 17th minute when Assane Diao created space on the right before finding Martin Baturina, who turned sharply inside the penalty area and drilled his finish into the bottom corner.
Napoli responded strongly, with Noa Lang wasting a clear headed opportunity before Rasmus Højlund restored parity in the 30th minute, firing through a crowded penalty area after receiving the ball on the edge of the box.
The equaliser, however, did little to settle Napoli because Como immediately exposed another weakness in the home side’s build-up.
André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s misplaced pass towards Amir Rrahmani was intercepted by Baturina, allowing Tasos Douvikas to finish from close range and restore Como’s lead five minutes later.
Napoli attempted to change the momentum after the interval, with Allegri introducing Kevin De Bruyne, Alisson Santos and Leonardo Spinazzola, but Como remained organised and continued to threaten on the counter.
De Bruyne came close to making an impact, while Stanislav Lobotka appeared to have equalised deep into stoppage time, only for the goal to be ruled out because Lorenzo Lucca was offside in the build-up.
Como consequently held on for a hugely valuable away victory, with their composure and ability to exploit Napoli’s defensive errors proving decisive.
