McTominay Scores Twice — Napoli Blow Two Leads and Allegri Gets Banned
GOATIFYScott McTominay scored twice. Frank Anguissa produced an overhead kick. Napoli led Roma 2–0, then 3–2, and still finished with only a point. The 3–3 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on October 24 delivered one of Serie A's wildest matches of the weekend, but it also exposed the contradiction at the heart of Napoli's season: their attacking midfield can overwhelm opponents while their defending keeps inviting them back.
Two days later, the consequences became more tangible. Massimiliano Allegri received a two-match touchline suspension and a €10,000 fine following his dismissal in the closing stages. He will miss the trips to Monza and Juventus. For a team sitting tenth after eight league games, this is no longer simply a story about a spectacular Scottish midfielder finding his scoring touch. It is about whether Napoli can turn a genuine attacking revival into points before the early-season gap grows harder to close.
McTominay Is Back Scoring — and Napoli Look Like a Different Attack
McTominay's first goal against Roma was almost comically persistent. Matteo Politano delivered the ball, the midfielder attacked it with his head, and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini appeared to make the save. The rebound returned to McTominay, whose second header was also kept out. He reacted faster than the defenders for a third attempt, this time driving the ball into the net. One goal on the scoresheet, three efforts in the same passage and a reminder of what Napoli had been missing.
The significance goes beyond an individual highlight. McTominay missed September after a planned procedure for a mild, benign heart rhythm condition. Napoli announced that his follow-up checks had cleared him to return, and he gradually resumed competitive action in October. His first two starts after the comeback coincided with defeats against Villarreal and Venezia, making it unreasonable to pretend that one player's return instantly fixes an entire team. Yet his subsequent impact has been emphatic: two goals in the 4–3 Champions League victory over Bodø/Glimt and two more against Roma.
That four-goal burst illustrates why his role cannot be reduced to a conventional central midfielder. He attacks space beyond the forwards, arrives late where defenders are watching the ball, and gives Napoli a second finishing threat when opponents concentrate on Rasmus Højlund. Against Roma, his first goal came from persistence close to goal; his second, a driven shot from distance after a loose clearance, showed the other side of his threat. Defenders cannot simply stand off him and hope the danger disappears.
There is also an intriguing balance to strike with Kevin De Bruyne. Napoli have experimented with the Belgian creating from deeper positions so McTominay can attack the penalty area. That can unlock passing lanes and give the team a more direct route to goal, but it also asks the players behind the ball to control transitions. The attacking evidence from the last two matches is encouraging. The defensive evidence is considerably less so.
Anguissa's Overhead Kick Was Brilliant — the Midfield Balance Matters More
Anguissa supplied the game's opening moment of theatre with an acrobatic finish in the 27th minute. A midfielder scoring an overhead kick can make the whole performance feel inevitable in hindsight, but Napoli's lead was not a straightforward procession. Mathías Olivera had an effort cleared off the line, while Roma's Bryan Cristante struck the post. The match already contained the warning signs of a contest that neither side had fully controlled.
For Napoli, Anguissa's contribution was important for a less photogenic reason too. After an interrupted period in the team, his physical presence offers a different complement to McTominay and De Bruyne. The three can give Napoli ball-winning ability, progression and a powerful runner arriving into scoring positions. That is a credible foundation for a midfield capable of troubling opponents above them in the table. It does not automatically guarantee that the spaces left behind will be defended properly.
One way to understand the 3–3 is to separate possession in useful areas from possession that merely looks comfortable. Napoli could get bodies forward, create second-ball opportunities and make Roma defend several actions in the same phase. McTominay's rebound goal is an obvious example. But once the ball turned over or the opposition escaped pressure, the hosts were repeatedly forced into hurried recovery defending. The midfield's attacking value was visible; the coordination of the team around it remained incomplete.
There is a temptation to call this an issue that will solve itself as players regain match fitness. Recovery time certainly matters, especially with a demanding league and European schedule, but organization matters as well. Who covers when one midfielder drives into the box? How quickly does the back line reset after a clearance? Who takes responsibility for a runner arriving at the far post? Those details determine whether a team can sustain a high-scoring revival without requiring three or four goals to win every match.
Soulé and Balerdi Turned a 2–0 Deficit Into Roma's Statement
Roma's recovery was not built on one lucky break. Matías Soulé began it in the 69th minute, exchanging passes with Donyell Malen before finding the bottom corner from outside the area. The move showed why Gian Piero Gasperini has been willing to place increasing creative responsibility on the Argentine. He can turn a small opening into a shot without needing an extended spell of possession.
Five minutes later Leonardo Balerdi equalised from a corner. Napoli had gone from a two-goal cushion to a level game in the space of a few minutes, and the warning was clear: the visitors were still capable of getting numbers into dangerous areas. McTominay responded with his long-range strike in the 83rd minute, apparently restoring order. Instead, Roma produced a final answer in the 89th. Wesley supplied the cross and Balerdi headed home his second of the night.
Balerdi's double is especially revealing because it came from a defender who entered the match as a substitute. Roma did not need every attacking move to be perfect; they kept finding ways to put the ball into areas where Napoli had to win individual duels. The late equaliser also showed the cost of switching off when protecting a narrow lead. Sam Beukema went to ground after contact with Balerdi during the buildup, and Napoli's defensive organization did not recover in time to prevent the decisive header.
Soulé's display offered a different kind of optimism for Roma. His progress has sometimes been measured against the expectations created by Paulo Dybala, but the Napoli performance was a case for evaluating him on his own terms. He drove attacks, threatened from distance and supplied the energy needed to turn a seemingly lost game into a draw. Gasperini praised his contribution after the match, while Roma extended their unbeaten league start. The result was frustrating for Napoli; for the visitors, it reinforced a valuable habit of refusing to accept the scoreline as settled.
Allegri's Two-Game Ban Leaves Napoli With a Problem Bigger Than the Referee
Allegri's dismissal came after Roma's late equaliser, with the Napoli coach furious that the goal stood. On October 26, Serie A's sporting judge imposed a two-match suspension and a €10,000 fine. The disciplinary account described an abusive remark to officials and aggressive conduct toward a Roma staff member afterward. Allegri disputed the version of events in his public comments. Those are competing accounts, but the practical consequence is not in doubt: Napoli will be without their manager on the touchline against Monza on October 28 and Juventus on November 1.
The referee debate is unlikely to make Napoli's defensive shortcomings disappear. The team conceded three times at home to Bodø/Glimt and then three more to Roma, even as McTominay scored twice in each match. Six goals conceded across two fixtures is a severe price for a side that has suddenly found a reliable route to scoring. It means the attackers must keep producing extraordinary performances simply to preserve ordinary results.
Napoli's position in the table makes the problem urgent. They finished the weekend tenth, with 11 points from eight Serie A matches, while Roma remained in the top three. That gap is not insurmountable in October, but it leaves little room for treating dropped leads as isolated misfortune. A top-four push requires repeatable defending, not only the capacity to win spectacular shootouts.
The next two league matches will therefore be an examination of the staff's ability to translate principles into habits without Allegri in the technical area. Napoli need cleaner marking at set pieces, better protection when midfield runners advance and more composure after taking the lead. Their attacking upside has been demonstrated in vivid fashion. What has not yet been demonstrated is the ability to control the moments immediately after scoring, when an opponent often takes its greatest risks. Until that changes, Napoli can look exhilarating and vulnerable in the same five-minute spell.
McTominay's four goals in two matches have given Napoli a way forward. Anguissa's return adds force, and De Bruyne's deeper passing offers another route through organized opponents. The 3–3 against Roma showed why those pieces are exciting, but also why excitement is not the same thing as progress up the table. Roma's comeback and Allegri's suspension leave Napoli facing a simple test: can they protect the advantage their midfield is capable of creating?
There is enough attacking quality to believe this season can improve. The next step is less glamorous: win the second ball, stay upright in the box, and make one lead count for 90 minutes. If Napoli can do that, the McTominay resurgence could become the start of a recovery rather than a spectacular footnote to another draw.
