AS Roma and coach Mourinho beam with joy after receiving a 'gift' from Napoli, securing three crucial points.

Entering the match against AS Roma, the Napoli players' morale was severely affected, especially after their humiliating 0-4 home defeat against Frosinone on December 19th in the Coppa Italia. Adding to their disadvantage was the absence of three key players: Jesper Lindstrom, Mathias Olivera, and Eljif Elmas. The only positive aspect for the reigning Serie A champions was their successful retention of their star player, Victor Osimhen, until June 2026.

For AS Roma, Romelu Lukaku and Nicola Zalewski return after suspensions, but Paulo Dybala, Houssem Aouar, Chris Smalling, Marash Kumbulla, and Tammy Abraham remain injured. Furthermore, Renato Sanches – a player rumored to have a conflict with manager Mourinho – wasn't even registered to play.

The match was heated from the first half as the coaching staffs of both teams constantly reacted and exchanged words. In the 38th minute, both Mourinho and Walter Mazzarri received yellow cards for disagreements. Furthermore, "The Special One" also pulled the shirts and demanded respect from Napoli's two stars, Victor Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, on several occasions.

Coach Mourinho constantly reminded the Napoli players.

The turning point of the match came in the 66th minute when Matteo Politano received a direct red card. The Italian player was fouled by Zalewski, but instead of ignoring the foul and taking the resulting free kick, he committed an unsportsmanlike act against the AS Roma player. Just 10 minutes after Matteo Politano's red card, AS Roma found the opening goal with a beautiful strike from Lorenzo Pellegrini.

While struggling to find an equalizer, things worsened for Napoli when they were reduced to nine men after Victor Osimhen received a red card. AS Roma seized the opportunity, easily taking control of the game, and in the 90+6th minute, Lukaku sealed a 2-0 victory for the team in maroon.

Victor Osimhen left Napoli playing with only nine men.

Coach Mourinho beamed during his press conference with DAZN: “Unfortunately, this match has changed the mood of the AS Roma players and coaching staff. I have spoken to the lads about this, and we also need to bring a joyful celebration to the fans.”

AS Roma were able to get closer to where we wanted to be, which was very difficult, you may disagree, but my feeling was that after five minutes, we would win. We controlled everything and there was no reason not to win. Obviously, with 10 men, we scored the goal and made the most of the situation, as well as our substitutions and the way our players interpreted the game. I think we fully deserved it.”

The crucial victory against Napoli gave AS Roma 28 points, surpassing Napoli (27 points) to move into sixth place. Meanwhile, the future of coach Walter Mazzarri, who only became Napoli's coach two months ago, is becoming uncertain after a series of unfavorable results recently.

AS Roma has officially overtaken Napoli in the league standings.

In the previous match between Juventus and Frosinone, "The Old Lady" also enjoyed a 2-1 victory away from home. Notably, the 18-year-old Turkish player Kenan Yıldız scored the opening goal. The other goal for Juventus in that match was scored by Dusan Vlahovic.

Meanwhile, in the late match between Inter Milan and Lecce, the Milanese team also secured a comfortable 2-0 victory to maintain their 4-point lead over Juventus. Inter Milan currently has 44 points, while Juventus has 40 points.

The home team at Giuseppe Meazza dominated from the opening minutes, but it wasn't until the end of the first half that Yann Aurel Bisseck gave them the lead. In the second half, Nicolo Barella doubled the advantage after a superb combination play.

Nicolo Barella celebrates after scoring the winning goal for Inter Milan.

The visiting team Lecce failed to make any impact in their match against Inter Milan. Furthermore, they suffered a setback when, at the end of the match, striker Lameck Banda was sent off for protesting.

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