Napoli edge Bodø/Glimt 4-3 but still cannot hold on to a lead

Politano scored in the first minute and McTominay got two, yet three goals conceded at home leave questions. Porto comes next in the Champions League, with Roma at the Maradona on Saturday 24 October.

by Gennaro SanninoWednesday 21 October, 08:59 CET· yesterday

McTominay con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: store.sscnapoli.it

Start with Politano. Until Monday 19 October he and Anguissa were both fitness doubts. In the first minute against Bodø/Glimt on Tuesday 20 October, Politano had already scored.

The injury list has been growing again this week. Buongiorno and Neres were left out of the squad, and Alisson Santos is out with a moderate-grade strain to his left hamstring. Some fans expected another night without key players. The vice-captain's goal was the quickest possible answer to them.

That goal settled nothing. Hauge equalised in the 27th minute, and from then on it was a different game.

McTominay keeps putting Napoli back in front

McTominay scored twice, in the 41st and 75th minutes. Both goals put Napoli back ahead after Bodø/Glimt had drawn level, first through Hauge and then through Helmersen. For anyone judging the team rather than just the scoreline, that is the most solid thing to take from the night: each time Napoli needed a goal, he found it.

Bjørtuft's own goal in the 88th minute made it 4-2. Fet pulled one back in the 90th, and a game that had never really been under control was open again. Conceding three at home to Bodø/Glimt is not reassuring for a fanbase that always feels it is being tested in Europe. Napoli got the result, but they never looked in control.

The road goes through Porto

Napoli opened their campaign against Arsenal and then lost 3-1 at Villarreal. The 4-3 win on Tuesday 20 October keeps them in the race, and the next stop is Porto v Napoli. Tickets in the away section cost €30, limited to one per transaction.

We have already written about how many more wins Napoli need to reach the playoffs. What the Bodø/Glimt game added is that every lead in this Champions League has to be defended to the final whistle. So far, scoring first has not been enough.

Roma at the Maradona

The league resumes on Saturday 24 October at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET), when Roma come to the Maradona. They are one of the sides this season will be measured against.

Napoli's last Serie A match ended 1-0 at Venezia. The three goals conceded against Bodø/Glimt show that the win has not fixed the problem of protecting a result. Allegri has three days to work on it. He will be without Alisson Santos and still does not know whether Buongiorno and Neres will be available.