AS Roma's remarkable 2025 form was checked but not derailed by a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Napoli in a pivotal Serie A clash on Sunday. Despite the setback, Gian Piero Gasperini's Giallorossi remain firmly in a congested title race, sitting just one point behind the league leaders.
A Dream Interrupted at the Stadio Olimpico
The match was billed as a major test of Roma's Scudetto credentials. Coming into the game, no team in Italy had collected more points in 2025 than Roma's 76, a tally that put them ten points clear of the next best side this calendar year. Manager Gasperini had openly encouraged his players to "dream" of the title after a 3-1 win over Cremonese sent them top the previous round.
However, Napoli, managed by Antonio Conte, arrived in Rome in resilient form. Dealing with a midfield injury crisis that sidelined Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa, and Billy Gilmour, Conte had switched to a 3-4-2-1 system. This tactical shift unlocked the best of winger David Neres, who proved to be the match-winner.
Neres Strike Decides Tight Contest
The decisive moment arrived in the 35th minute. David Neres initiated a move from the edge of his own box, combining with striker Rasmus Højlund before sprinting past Bryan Cristante to collect a return pass and slot coolly past Roma goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
Roma, with Gasperini serving a touchline ban in a stadium 'quiet room', struggled for attacking fluency. They started with Evan Ferguson up front, supported by Matias Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini, but later introduced Paulo Dybala, Tommaso Baldanzi, and Leon Bailey in search of an equaliser.
The home side's only real chance came in the 90th minute when Dybala's clever flick sent Baldanzi through, but his shot was well saved by Napoli's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. The game concluded with a passage symbolic of Roma's frustrating night: a late free-kick in a promising position ended with the ball being passed back to the halfway line without a shot being taken.
Title Race Remains Wide Open
Post-match, Gasperini refused to be drawn into excuses, acknowledging his team looked "slow" and may have felt the effects of a short turnaround after a Thursday Europa League match against Midtjylland. He dismissed the notion that his team lacks the quality to compete with rivals, pointing out this performance differed from their previous 1-0 losses to AC Milan and Inter.
The result propelled Napoli to second, level on 28 points with leaders AC Milan, who only lead on goal difference. Roma and Inter Milan sit just one point behind on 27 points, with Bologna able to join them with a win. Gasperini found a silver lining, quipping, "It's lucky for us actually, because we can't do any worse in these head-to-heads now. When the return games come around, we can only get more points."
Despite the disappointment, the players, led by defender Gianluca Mancini, made a point of applauding their supporters at full-time—a gesture acknowledging the fans' backing while recognising the team's status as genuine contenders in one of Europe's most compelling title battles.
