What a game! It was exactly the game we all were hoping for between the reigning champions Juventus against Italy’s runners-up for two seasons in a row. At the Juventus Stadium, La Juve hosted Napoli on Matchday 2 in the Italian Serie A. It all started really well for Juventus, as they opened a 3-goal lead, but bottled it as Napoli scored three times in the second half.
However, in a very unfortunate move, center-back, Kalidou Koulibaly ended up scoring an own goal, on 92 minutes, giving Juventus the three points at home.
The match started at a fast pace at the Juventus Stadium. Napoli seemed to be the most dangerous side and almost broke the deadlock on 14 minutes, as Allan forced the Polish goalkeeper Szczesny to save down the left, palming it away to a corner for Napoli.
However, Juventus could set-up a counterattack from the corner, and substitute Danilo, who had just got to the match due to an injury from the right-back, scored for La Juve on his debut game. 1-0 Juventus.
Napoli did not digest well the goal conceded, as Juventus capitalized on that to make it two. Three minutes later, the Argentine striker Higuain made a beautiful move and scored against his former team. 2-0 Juventus.
After the break, Juventus got to their third in the match through guess who… Cristiano Ronaldo! The Portuguese made it three with 62 on the clock.
Everyone thought that the game was already solved with Juventus being 3-0 up. However, resilient Napoli did not give up and diminished on 66 minutes through a header from defender Manolas.
Two minutes later, and Napoli pulled another goal back, through the Mexican Lozano, another debutant in the night. 3-2 Juventus, as the atmosphere went from party to apprehensiveness in the Juventus Stadium.
The seemingly unlikely draw came in the 81st minute. Callejon had a set-piece and picked out the right-back Di Lorenzo, who unmarked, fired home at the far post, leveling the match. 3-3.
What a game so far. I guess everyone would be happy in the end with the draw. Maybe everyone except Juventus fans, who had a three-goal lead, and ended up conceding three as well. However, on 90+2, Juventus had a set-piece. The ball was thrown to the area, but no Juventus player seemed in conditions to try to tap in, due to a good defensive line from Napoli. However, the defender Koulibaly perhaps thought that there could be a Juventus player besides him, and in an attempt to clear the ball off the box, ended up sending it straight to the back of the net, making it 4-3 Juventus.
Surely it was a heartbreak feeling for Napoli fans, and mainly for Koulibaly, who was visibly shocked following the end of the match. However, it was a good match, and Napoli fans should be proud of their team, who sought the equalizer in front of Juventus at their Stadium.
Following the emotional 4-3 win, Juventus keep their 100% in the Serie A, with six points, and lead the League. Napoli, who debuted with a 4-3 away win over Fiorentina, have only three points and are currently in 9th.