Napoli Climb to Second Place After Defeating Nine Lazio Players

Napoli beat Lazio 2-0 to climb to second place in the Italian Serie A standings. (X/@sscnapoli)

JAKARTA - Napoli managed to rise to second place after defeating nine Lazio players 2-0 in an Italian Serie A match at the Olympic Stadium, Sunday, January 4, 2026 WIB.

Napoli overcame an easy test when visiting Lazio's home. In the duel at the opponent's home, Napoli was able to achieve an important victory that maintained the competition for the league title.

Moreover, Napoli still can't field the best squad in the domestic competition. Coach Antonio Conte lost his mainstay striker Romelu Lukaku who was wrestling with a thigh injury he suffered. Likewise, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is still sidelined with Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa.

However, the I Partenopei were able to overcome the pressure and only needed the first 35 minutes to secure victory over Lazio. The success in winning three points brought Napoli up to second place after collecting 37 points.

They displaced Inter Milan who dropped to third but Napoli are still one point behind AC Milan who sit atop the standings.

Meanwhile, Lazio was stuck in the middle of the table after suffering their sixth defeat. The capital club is ranked ninth with 24 points.

In the match, Lazio actually put pressure when striker Tijjani Noslin greeted Matteo Cancellieri's cross. However, Noslin failed to maximize the opportunity to convert it into a goal.

On the other hand, Napoli who was able to get out of the pressure was able to break into the Lazio goal. Midfielder Leonardo Spinazzola broke the deadlock after a volley kick that finished Matteo Politano's cross. The goal that was created in the 13th minute made Napoli 1-0 ahead.

The goal made the Napoli players more excited to play offensively. Even the visiting team didn't take long to add a goal.

This time, Politano who gave the pass through a free kick was passed on by Amir Rrahmani. Rrahmani's header which stood free managed to shake the Biancocelesti goal in the 32nd minute.

The score changed 2-0 for Napoli. The score remained until the first half ended even though Napoli actually had the opportunity to consolidate the lead through Eljif Elmas. It's just that he couldn't convert a pass from David Neres.

In the second half, Napoli continued to dominate the game. They also created a number of opportunities, including from Elmas who failed to finish Pasquale Mazzocchi's cross.

Lazio managed to rise and threaten Napoli's defense. However, Lazio lost Noslin who received a second yellow card and was followed by a red card in the 81st minute.

Previously, Noslin was yellow carded after committing a foul against Rrahmani. And, just 12 minutes later, he fouled Alessandro Buongiorno which resulted in a red card.

The match got hotter with high tension. Even Pasquale Mazzocchi had a fight with Adam Marusic until Conte tried to separate them. Both of them also got red cards and had to leave the field in the 88th minute.

Playing with nine players makes it difficult for Lazio to catch up. Moreover, Napoli still played solid even though they lost a player. The score of 2-0 for Napoli lasted until the end of the match.