Napoli Player Ratings vs Cagliari: Anguissa To the Rescue | OneFootball

Napoli left it late to beat perennial Serie A strugglers Cagliari in their first home league game of the season. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa saved the day right at the death, inspiring the reigning champions to a narrow 1-0 win.

Breathtaking scenes at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona saw Napoli snatch away three points with the final kick of the game. However, it was a well-deserved victory for Antonio Conte’s side as they dominated the match from start to finish.

The first half was a bit bleak, with the Partenopei struggling to find a way past Cagliari’s low defensive block. Last season’s MVP, Scott McTominay, came close on the stroke of halftime, yet Elia Caprile stopped his close-range effort.

McTominay had two more chances to break the deadlock in the second half but fluffed his lines, especially in the third minute of stoppage time. Luckily for the home faithful, Zambo Anguissa bailed Napoli out in the 95th minute, protecting their 100% record at the start of the new season.

Without further ado, let’s look at our Napoli player ratings.

Napoli (4-1-4-1)

Alex Meret – 6/10

Largely untested due to Cagliari’s uneventful attacking performance, the Italian goalkeeper didn’t have to make any notable saves to keep his second clean sheet of the season.

Leonardo Spinazzola – 6/10

Following an underwhelming first half, the offensive-minded left-back upped the tempo in the second period and nearly scored a superb solo goal to break the deadlock.

Juan Jesus – 7/10

Given an unexpected chance to start, the Brazilian fared expertly against Sebastiano Esposito, denying the Inter loanee a clear sight of goal, while keeping his passes sharp and clean.

Amir Rrahmani – 7/10

Like his center-back colleague, the Kosovo international didn’t put his foot wrong tonight. However, one lapse of concentration saw Michael Folorunsho slip his mark, which almost led to Cagliari taking the lead.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6/10

Despite a rock-solid defensive display, the Napoli captain failed to offer depth in attack, often leaving Matteo Politano alone against two or three Cagliari defenders.

Stanislav Lobotka – 7/10

Calm and collected in possession, the diminutive midfielder was once again Napoli’s cornerstone in the engine room, dictating the pace with precision and intelligent movement.

Scott McTominay – 8/10

Another lively performance from the Partenopei talisman! Though he didn’t score tonight, he was undoubtedly the most threatening home player all night.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6/10

Napoli fans were desperate to see some De Bruyne magic, yet the Belgian didn’t have his night. Except for a decent attempt toward the end of the first half, he didn’t offer much in the final third.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa – 9/10

The Cameroonian answered the call when Napoli needed a hero, scoring a last-gasp winner to open his account for the season and cement his place in the starting XI.

Matteo Politano – 7/10

It was a shame that his curling effort from the edge of the penalty area flew a whisker wide of the far post after a brilliant individual run. Always willing to take on his markers.

Lorenzo Lucca – 6/10

A bit scrappy from the towering striker, who lacked service in the box but fought valiantly for every possession, albeit without an end product.

Substitutes

Alessandro Buongiorno – 8/10

Giuseppe Ambrosino – 6/10