Serie A | Napoli 1-1 Lecce: Colombo stuns the Maradona crowd

Napoli were held to another stalemate, this time by plucky Lecce, as Alex Meret saved a penalty and Lorenzo Colombo scored a stunner in reply to the Eljif Elmas goal.

The Partenopei gave Giacomo Raspadori, Tanguy Ndombele, Leo Ostigard and Matias Olivera their first starts, rotating the squad after the goalless draw at Fiorentina. Samuel Umtiti was on the bench for Lecce, but Mert Cetin, Joel Voelkerling Persson and Kastriot Dermaku injured, as the team picked up its first point against Empoli.

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Matteo Politano saw his scorcher acrobatically fingertipped over the bar by Wladimiro Falcone, but Ndombele clumsily clipped the back of Federico Di Francesco’s heels for a penalty.

The jeers were so loud in the stadium that when Lorenzo Colombo converted, he had to do it again, as the referee hadn’t blown the whistle yet. When he stepped up the second time, Alex Meret got down for a one-handed save at the near bottom corner.

Moments later, Napoli took the lead when Victor Osimhen knocked it down for Politano, whose cross-shot turned into an assist for Eljif Elmas to tap in from six yards.

Milan-owned striker Colombo did not let that incident hit his confidence, because he scored the equaliser with an absolute scorcher from 20 metres out, arrowing off his left foot into the roof of the net. It was his first ever Serie A goal.

Leo Ostigard tried to replicate it, but the finish sailed over the bar, while Elmas stung Falcone’s gloves at the near post on a Politano assist.

Osimhen’s glancing header flashed wide at the back stick and Politano went even closer with a cut inside and curler that grazed the upright.

Matias Olivera stung Falcone’s gloves after a Kvicha Kvaratskhelia back-heel flick, as did Giovanni Di Lorenzo at the near post.

Falcone rushed off his line to clear from Osimhen and only just managed to get there in time, while the Nigerian also failed to keep his header down at the back post in stoppages.

Napoli 1-1 Lecce

Elmas 27 (N), Colombo 31 (L)

Saved penalty: Colombo 25 (L)