Serie A | Napoli 0-2 Lazio: Sarri puts final nail in Scudetto dream

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Skip to contentNAPLES, ITALY – APRIL 18: Toma Basic of SS Lazio scores his side second goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and SS Lazio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on April 18, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Napoli really have abandoned Scudetto dreams after their first Serie A home defeat of the season, as despite a Vanja Milinkovic-Savic penalty save, Matteo Cancellieri and Toma Basic gave Lazio victory.

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The Partenopei were still smarting after the draw at Parma practically ended their Scudetto ambitions. Amir Rrahmani returned to the bench, with Sam Beukema preferred to Juan Jesus, but Romelu Lukaku, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, David Neres and Antonio Vergara were still out of action. Lazio weren’t in much better shape, as Adam Marusic, Ivan Provedel, Nicolò Rovella, Samuel Gigot and Alessio Furlanetto didn’t make the trip, with Daniel Maldini back in the squad. Maurizio Sarri faced his old club and also kept an eye on Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final with Atalanta.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

It was an aggressive start from Lazio and they opened the scoring early on when Kenneth Taylor pulled back from the left by-line for Matteo Cancellieri to sweep into the far bottom corner first-time from eight yards.

Toma Basic and Matteo Politano tested the goalkeepers, but Mario Gila did just enough to stop Scott McTominay nodding in from six yards on a Politano cross.

Alessio Romagnoli made a decisive sliding tackle on Rasmus Hojlund when sent through by Kevin De Bruyne, but Lazio earned a penalty when Noslin took advantage of a lucky ricochet off Alessandro Buongiorno to go on the counter, shrugged off Beukema, and was bundled over from behind by Stanislav Lobotka.

However, Zaccagni became the latest victim of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who parried his third penalty of the season, and then the Lazio captain slipped to fire the rebound over the bar.

Milinkovic-Savic was decisive again with a tricky save as Cancellieri’s strike went through a defender’s legs, and Noslin couldn’t keep the rebound down.

Nuno Tavares forced another Milinkovic-Savic save with an angled drive when sent sprinting down the left, and Kenneth Taylor drilled just wide straight after the restart.

Lazio did double their lead when Nuno Tavares sprinted down the left and Cancellieri stumbled on what should’ve been a tap-in, but the ricochet fell kindly for teammate Toma Basic to sweep in from 10 yards.

Substitute Alisson Santos threatened to pull one back moments later, but his powerful angled drive thumped the outside of the near post.

Nuno Tavares failed to turn in the Noslin roll across from six yards under pressure from Miguel Gutierrez, and McTominay’s scorcher was deflected over, as Napoli remarkably suffered their fourth consecutive home defeat to Lazio. It was also their first home loss of the Serie A season.

Napoli 0-2 Lazio

Cancellieri 6 (L), Basic 57 (L)

Saved penalty: Zaccagni 31 (L)

18-04-2026 17:00

MatchDay 33

Stadio Diego Armando MaradonaNAPLAZ

Live0 – 2

Player statistic

NAP

LAZ

Starting lineups

32

Vanja Milinković-Savić
Goalkeeper

4

Alessandro Buongiorno
Defender

37

Leonardo Spinazzola
Defender

63′

17

Mathías Olivera
Defender

31

Sam Beukema
Defender

99

Frank Anguissa
Midfielder

46′

11

Kevin De Bruyne
Midfielder

46′

8

Scott McTominay
Midfielder

68

Stanislav Lobotka
Midfielder

63′

21

Matteo Politano
Attacker

72′

19

Rasmus Højlund
Attacker

40

Edoardo Motta
Goalkeeper

13

Alessio Romagnoli
Defender

29

Manuel Lazzari
Defender

82′

34

Mario Gila
Defender

61′

17

Nuno Tavares
Defender

32

Danilo Cataldi
Midfielder

61′

24

Kenneth Taylor
Midfielder

26

Toma Basic
Midfielder

71′

22

Matteo Cancellieri
Attacker

10

Mattia Zaccagni
Attacker

61′

14

Tijjani Noslin
Attacker

Substitutes

5

Juan Jesus
Defender

1

Alex Meret
Goalkeeper

13

Amir Rrahmani
Defender

14

Nikita Contini
Goalkeeper

6

Billy Gilmour
Midfielder

23

Giovane Nascimento
Attacker

20

Eljif Elmas
Midfielder

46′

27

Alisson Santos
Attacker

46′

3

Miguel Gutiérrez
Defender

63′

23

Giovane
Attacker

63′

30

Pasquale Mazzocchi
Defender

72′

9

Pedro
Attacker

27

Daniel Maldini
Midfielder

3

Luca Pellegrini
Defender

18

Gustav Isaksen
Attacker

21

Reda Belahyane
Midfielder

20

Petar Ratkov
Attacker

28

Adrian Przyborek
Attacker

99

Giacomo Giacomone

72

Nicolò Pannozzo
Goalkeeper

4

Patric
Defender

61′

19

Boulaye Dia
Attacker

61′

25

Oliver Provstgaard
Defender

61′

7

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru
Midfielder

71′

23

Elseid Hysaj
Defender

82′

BySusy Campanale

Original Article