Napoli 3–3 Roma: Balerdi’s 89th-Minute Equalizer Caps Six-Goal Serie A Thriller

Final score — Saturday, October 24, 2026: Napoli 3–3 Roma at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples. A six-goal Serie A contest ended with Roma salvaging a point in the 89th minute after Napoli had led twice.

How the six goals unfolded

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa put Napoli ahead in the 28th minute with an acrobatic overhead kick. Scott McTominay doubled the lead shortly after half-time, heading in Matteo Politano’s delivery. Roma fought back through Matías Soulé in the 69th minute and Leonardo Balerdi five minutes later, turning a two-goal deficit into 2–2.

McTominay restored Napoli’s lead in the 83rd minute with his second goal, but Balerdi struck again in the 89th minute to make it 3–3. Napoli’s official match report confirms the final result and the scoring sequence; independent match reporting corroborates the details.

Why this result matters

Roma’s recovery was about more than a late equalizer. They responded to falling two goals behind and then recovered again after McTominay’s second strike, extending their unbeaten league start. For Napoli, the draw raises a different question: how can a side score three times at home and still fail to secure three points? Coach Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged afterward that his team needed to defend more effectively and had let leads slip too often.

Analysis: The result highlights two contrasting traits: Roma’s ability to keep creating decisive moments under pressure, and Napoli’s difficulty protecting an advantage. Neither conclusion should be mistaken for a prediction about the title race from one match.

Video and visual context

An exact-event, newly uploaded video from ESPN, ESPN UK or an official league or club YouTube account could not be independently verified at publication time. No unrelated highlights have been embedded. ESPN’s official video channel may carry later coverage; readers should check the event and upload dates.

Featured image: archival aerial photograph of Naples by Laurent Gence, via Unsplash. This is a location illustration, not a photograph of the October 24 match. Reused under the Unsplash License.