Leonardo Balerdi Denies Napoli the Win as Roma Salvage a 3-3 Draw

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Leonardo Balerdi denies Napoli the win: Roma salvage the 3-3 draw.

3-3 after a two-goal lead: On Saturday, 24 October, AS Roma claimed a point at Napoli on the 9th matchday of Serie A. Napoli held a two-goal lead for much of the game but came under pressure in the second half. Leonardo Balerdi, who had come on as a substitute, sealed the turnaround with a brace shortly before the end of the match.

The match, in which Napoli was initially clearly ahead, thus ended in a draw. Balerdi’s goals made Roma the late architect of the comeback—and at the same time showed how quickly a comfortable lead can turn into a disappointing draw.

Napoli’s Two-Goal Lead Disappeared in the Second Half

The course of the match

According to Ouest-France, Napoli held a two-goal lead for much of the match. AS Roma managed to erase the deficit and end the match with a 3-3 draw.

The decisive phase came in the second half. The Neapolitans, previously clearly ahead, came under increasing pressure and could no longer hold their lead. Above all, Balerdi’s late goals prevented Roma from securing another away victory.

Both reports – L’Équipe and Ouest-France – point to the same core: Napoli had held the lead, Balerdi brought Roma back, and the match ultimately ended in a draw.

Balerdi’s Late Brace Brought Roma Back

The substitute

Leonardo Balerdi scored both goals after coming on as a substitute. The brace came only at the very end of the match, when Napoli had already surrendered their two-goal advantage. Those two goals allowed AS Roma to erase the deficit.

Balerdi thus became the decisive attacker of the match. He did not have to carry out the entire comeback, but his late goals brought Roma from a clear deficit back to level. Precisely in that phase lay the difference between a draw and a Napoli victory.

Allegri’s Summer Appointment Gave Napoli Ambition

The coach

L’Équipe places the match in the context of Massimiliano Allegri’s appointment as coach this summer. Since then, Napoli are said to have pushed forward and, against AS Roma, may have believed they could secure a success of stature.

That is precisely where the tension of the match lay: Napoli not only held a lead but seemed to be on the way to a significant home victory. After halftime, however, that expectation disappeared. In the end, Allegri’s team retained neither the result nor control over the decisive phase.

What the Draw Reveals About Both Sides

For Roma

Roma rescue the draw with Balerdi’s brace. After falling behind twice, the visitors take a point against a Napoli side that had led clearly for a long time. It becomes apparent how important the moment between Balerdi’s introduction and the completion of his brace was.

For Napoli

Napoli, by contrast, let a possible victory slip. A two-goal lead and a long period of clear superiority are not enough if Roma turn the decisive minutes late. The final score therefore says less about the overall course of the match than about the second-half collapse.

The strongest counterargument

Against turning Roma’s comeback into too grand a success story, it can be argued that Napoli led by two goals for long stretches. The draw therefore does not prove lasting Roma superiority. Rather, it was a late turnaround in a match that for a long time looked as though it was clearly running in Napoli’s favor—and Balerdi became the match-winner only in precisely that decisive phase.