Napoli Edge Past Pisa to Maintain Perfect Serie A Start

Napoli extended their unbeaten start in Serie A with a narrow 3-2 victory over promoted side Pisa on Monday, keeping their perfect record intact after four matches.

Lorenzo Lucca scored his first goal for Pisa in the 82nd minute, which ultimately proved decisive for Napoli. The win keeps the reigning champions on 12 points, two ahead of Juventus, following their rivals’ draw at Verona, and three ahead of Roma and AC Milan, who round out the top four.

Napoli will face AC Milan at the San Siro next weekend, following Milan’s Italian Cup tie against Lecce on Tuesday night.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte expressed satisfaction with the win but acknowledged the challenges of balancing domestic and European football. Speaking to Sky, he said: “Obviously we’re happy for four wins out of four in a league where there are six or seven teams at a really good level. We’ve got a lot of new players who have come here and have the Scudetto on their shirt. And that carries pressure.”

Conte admitted that Napoli are still finding their rhythm following Thursday’s 2-0 defeat at Manchester City in the Champions League: “The teams that play European football every year are settled in, we’re not. That’s why playing every three days can create physical and mental stress. We need to have patience.”

Match Highlights

Billy Gilmour’s first-ever professional club goal gave Napoli the lead, but Pisa responded when M’Bala Nzola calmly converted a penalty in the 60th minute. Napoli regained the advantage through Leonardo Spinazzola, whose long-range strike in the 73rd minute marked his first goal since February.

The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Lorenzo Lucca scored against his former club, putting Napoli ahead. Pisa grabbed a late consolation goal via Lorran in stoppage time after a defensive error from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who had endured a poor week, including a red card against Manchester City for a foul on Erling Haaland.

Despite Alberto Gilardino’s efforts as manager, Pisa remain second from bottom in Serie A with just one point. They were unable to capitalise on Napoli’s defensive lapses and missed the opportunity to secure a draw.

Napoli, meanwhile, maintain their perfect start, demonstrating resilience and depth as they juggle domestic and European commitments.