Porto beat Napoli 4-1 as bench decides the second half

Porto's substitutes had a hand in all three of their second-half goals. Napoli made their first change seven minutes after falling 2-1 behind.

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 5 November, 02:24 CET· yesterday

Porto-Napoli Porto-Napoli, due legni come avviso e una panchina che non ha risposto — Grafica Arena Napoli

Napoli lost 4-1 in Porto, and the match turned on substitutions. Porto brought on Aghehowa in the 56th minute, then Sanusi and Gimenez in the 67th. Four minutes after coming on, Gimenez set up Veiga for 2-1.

Hwang came on in the 78th minute and two minutes later set up Kiwior for 3-1. Aghehowa made it 4-1 from the penalty spot in the 90th minute. All three of Porto's second-half goals came from a player who started on the bench, either as scorer or as provider.

Napoli's first move came in the 78th minute, when Lang and Giovane came on with the side already 2-1 down for seven minutes. Lucca followed in the 82nd. By the time Napoli brought on fresh legs, Porto had already made three changes, and one of those changes had already produced a goal.

The warnings before 71 minutes

Between the 56th and 63rd minutes Porto hit the woodwork twice, first through Bednarek and then through Veiga. That was not bad luck. It was two clear signs that the game was moving towards Meret's goal.

The final numbers say the same. Porto had 19 shots to Napoli's 11, and 8 on target to 6. Possession was close to even. The difference was what Porto created and Napoli did not. The match record shows no Napoli substitution in the quarter of an hour between the 56th and 71st minutes. The second goal did not come out of nowhere. It had been signalled twice.

A first half full of bookings

Napoli had four players booked by the 36th minute: Vergara after one minute, Anguissa in the 21st, then Rrahmani and McTominay a minute apart, in the 35th and 36th. Three midfielders and a defender, much of the team's spine, were on a yellow card before half-time.

Bednarek had put Porto ahead in the 11th minute, and McTominay equalised in the 43rd. It was Napoli's only goal. Marín's sending-off in the 88th minute and the penalty in the 90th only rounded off a match that was already lost at 3-1.

Why the timing matters

Napoli supporters still feel the club is on trial in Europe. Last season ended with elimination in the league phase and the 6-2 in Eindhoven, the heaviest European defeat in the club's history. That is why a 4-1 in which the opponent changed the game from the bench while Napoli waited matters more than the scoreline.

The fanbase has been asking for less caution and braver football, and the doubts about Allegri are out in the open. Porto does not settle that debate, but it adds a concrete point to it: the timing of the changes. Allegri had only just returned to the bench after a suspension, and substitutions are the coach's responsibility.

Lazio visit the Maradona on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET). It is a different competition and a different game, but the question from Porto still applies. Can Napoli change a match before they have to chase it, or will they keep reacting only after the opponent has already changed everything?