Napoli beats Bologna 1-0, but substitutes decide it

Napoli beat Bologna 1-0, in a result that says more than the scoreline suggests. In the 66th minute, Lobotka scored from a pass by Favasuli, on the pitch for barely twenty minutes. It was not the side that started the game that settled it, but a substitution. The win is real and worth three points, but it came from a decision made during the match, not from a plan that worked from kick-off.

The numbers show a Napoli in control: 58% possession, 15 shots to Bologna's 5, ten corners to none. But of those 15 shots, only 3 were on target, against Bologna's 2, and the visiting goalkeeper made three saves to two from Napoli's. Translation: territorial dominance was there, precision in front of goal was not. One goal from fifteen attempts is a thin return for a side with ambitions of finishing near the top, and the fact it came from a substitute is not a detail to file away.

The rest of the game can be told quickly. Bologna had a goal disallowed in the 8th minute, Amondarain was booked in the 31st and went off in the 66th for Moro, while Odgaard, Libra, Mbangula and Enem came on in the second half without changing the pattern of play. Allegri managed the closing stages, sending on Lucca for Höjlund in the 75th minute and Olivera for De Bruyne in the 88th, seeing out a result that was never seriously in doubt after the goal.

The bigger picture matters more. Napoli sit 13th with 4 points from 4 games, and this win ends a run without a victory without changing the table much. Those who have criticised Allegri's football as too cautious and unproductive now have a further argument: two well-timed substitutions decided the game, not the starting XI. Those calling for patience can point to the three points. Both sides will have plenty to argue about until Napoli play at Fiorentina on Sunday 20 September.