Santos Strikes Late to Shatter Napoli’s Dream in Thrilling Serie A Opener Against Roma

In a thrilling Serie A showdown that had fans on the edge of their seats, Napoli’s newest sensation, Alisson Santos, wasted no time making his mark. The young defender’s 82nd-minute rocket salvaged a hard-fought 2-2 draw against a relentless Roma squad spearheaded by the sensational Donyell Malen, who was on fire with a brace including a crucial penalty. Roma seemed destined for victory after a lightning start saw Malen open the scoring and then double their advantage, but Napoli’s resilience shone through, thanks to Leonardo Spinazzola’s clever deflection and Santos’ cool finish late in the game. With both teams clinging to top-four aspirations, this battle not only showcased individual brilliance but also the fierce competitive spirit that makes this league so riveting. Trust me, this one’s got all the ingredients for classic football drama! LEARN MORE

Alisson Santos marked his Serie A debut for Napoli with a goal as his 82nd minute equaliser helped Antonio Conte’s side to a 2-2 draw with top-four rivals Roma.

Roma looked set for all three points when Donyell Malen scored his second of the match from the penalty spot, but Santos popped up late on to seal a share of the spoils.

Roma took the lead in the seventh minute after Gianluca Mancini’s ball down the line freed Bryan Zaragoza, with his centre flashed into the roof of the net by the in-form Malen.

Stanislav Lobotka’s volley soon after forced Mile Svilar into his first save of the game before Malen dragged a shot wide at the other end after racing past Amir Rrahmani.

But Napoli hauled themselves level five minutes before half-time through Leonardo Spinazzola, whose shot deflected off Niccolo Pisilli and looped over Svilar on the stretch.

Spinazzola almost doubled his and Napoli’s tally two minutes into the second half, but his stinging left-footed shot from inside the penalty area was brilliantly thwarted by Svilar.

However, Roma were awarded a penalty when Wesley was felled by Rrahmani, with Malen stepping up to squeeze his 71st-minute spot-kick past Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

There was to be one more twist in the tale, though, as Santos combined with compatriot Giovane before taking a touch and drilling the ball from the edge of the area into the net.

Full time: #NapoliRoma 2-2

#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/7w8KAr5dxu

— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) February 15, 2026

Data Debrief: Magic Malen’s heroics undone late on

Malen’s blistering start to life at Roma continued on Sunday, with his brace taking him to five goals in as many league goals for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Indeed, the on-loan Aston Villa forward became only the third player to score 4+ goals in his first five games for Roma in Serie A among those who made their debut for the club in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95), after Gabriel Omar Batistuta (six) and Stephan El Shaarawy (four).

But Napoli struck late to preserve their 23-game unbeaten league run at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, doing so for the first time since between February 1986 and February 1988 (31 under Ottavio Bianchi).

Roma will, however, feel they should have come away with all three points, given they ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.7 from their nine shots compared to Napoli’s 0.58 from their 11 attempts.