Napoli Player Ratings vs Parma: Lukaku and Raspadori Fire Blank | OneFootball

Napoli wasted a glorious chance to clinch their second Scudetto in three years as Parma held them to a scoreless draw at Stadio Ennio Tardini. Cristian Chivu’s team did Inter a favor by taking the Serie A title race into the final weekend.

Genoa threw a spanner in Napoli’s Scudetto quest last weekend, allowing second-placed Inter Milan to close the gap to a single point. There was no margin for error heading into this fixture as Napoli sought a third consecutive away league win after beating Lecce and Monza via an identical 1-0 scoreline.

Tardini witnessed another uneventful contest in the opening 45 minutes. Scoring chances were hard to come by. The closest Napoli came to finding a crucial breakthrough was Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s shot toward the end of the first half, which rattled off the post. However, Antonio Conte had very few reasons to be happy about his team’s performance.

Napoli flew out of the traps in the second half but couldn’t find a way past Parma’s low block. Matteo Politano hit the crossbar, while Zion Suzuki made a superb save to stop Scott McTominay’s thunderbolt.

A nerve-shredding finish saw referee Daniele Doveri send both managers off and award a last-gasp penalty to Napoli. However, he overturned his decision after consulting with VAR as the scoreline remained unchanged.

Let’s cut to the chase and look at our player ratings.

Napoli (4-4-2)

Alex Meret – 8/10

Used two comfortable early saves as a platform to build confidence. Made a stunning diving save early in the second half to maintain parity.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6/10

Invisible in attack, the Napoli captain at least fared well defensively. Took one for the team, sacrificing a yellow card to stop a deadly counter-attack.

Amir Rrahmani – 7/10

Ange-Yoan Bonny tested his defensive prowess with constant movement and impressive strength, yet the Kosovo international stood his ground.

Mathias Olivera – 8/10

Another decent showing from the left-back, even though Conte deployed him out of position for a third match in a row. Untroubled in the second half.

Leonardo Spinazzola – 5/10

Rarely tested in defense, the Italian wingback had plenty of space down the flank, but nothing went his way. Unconvincing in possession and harmless in the front third, his display was well below the required standard.

Matteo Politano – 7/10

Enjoyed a bright start to the game and was the first Napoli player to test Suzuki. Hit the woodwork early in the second half, even though he probably tried to cross.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 8/10

Came agonizingly close to open the scoring just after the half-hour mark, only for the post to deny his low effort. Pivotal in the build-up play, the Cameroonian pulled all the strings in midfield.

Billy Gilmour – 3/10

Stanislav Lobotka’s absence forced his return to the starting XI, yet the ex-Brighton midfielder couldn’t provide the spark in the final third. Wasn’t equal to the challenge and could’ve come out sooner.

Scott McTominay – 7/10

It was a forgettable first half for the Napoli talisman, who barely had any influence on the game. Suzuki made an incredible save to fingertip his fantastic shot over the bar in the second half.

Giacomo Raspadori – 4/10

After a near-anonymous first-half performance, the diminutive forward gain a foothold in the game but only barely as Conte took him off midway through the second half.

Romelu Lukaku – 4/10

Engaged in continuous physical battle against Parma defenders, the towering striker fought tooth and nail for every possession but never had a clear sight of goal.

Substitutes

David Neres – 6/10

Cyril Ngonge – 5/10