Lobotka's set-piece strike separates Napoli from stubborn Bologna

Napoli beat Bologna 1-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a scoreline that flattered the visitors given the hosts' 1.81-0.25 xG superiority. The decisive moment arrived in the 66th minute when a well-worked throw-in routine found Costantino Favasuli on the right; his delivery into the box was met by Stanislav Lobotka, who steered a right-footed finish past the goalkeeper for his first goal of the campaign. The chance carried 0.40 xG — the highest single value of the match — and proved the difference in a contest Napoli controlled from start to finish.

Both sides lined up in 4-3-3 formations, but Napoli immediately imposed territorial dominance. They held 55% possession and completed 248 passes at 91% accuracy, pushing 149 of those into Bologna's half compared to the visitors' 62. That pressure translated into 0.84 xG from open play, yet only four shots and none on target. Rasmus Højlund accounted for 0.63 xG of that total but saw two big chances go begging. Bologna, by contrast, mustered three shots and 0.09 xG, with their only on-target effort forcing a routine save. The half ended goalless, the scoreline masking a clear imbalance in chance creation.

The pattern intensified after the break. Napoli's possession rose to 60%, their opposition-half passes climbed to 168, and they earned eight corners to Bologna's zero. Touches in the attacking box jumped from 12 to 21, while the visitors managed just six. The breakthrough came from a dead-ball situation: a throw-in on the right flank was played short to Favasuli, whose cross found Lobotka unmarked at the near post. The Slovak midfielder's finish was calm, the xG model rating it a 40% chance — a rare high-quality opportunity in a match defined by volume over clarity.

Napoli created two more big chances after the goal, pushing their total to four for the game against Bologna's zero. Kevin De Bruyne, introduced as a creative spark, saw a right-footed effort from the centre of the box sail high and wide in the 80th minute. Leonardo Spinazzola added 0.03 xG from limited involvement, while Juan Miranda operated deeper without registering a shot. Bologna's response was negligible: 0.16 xG in the second half, two shots, one on target, and zero corners. Their only booking came in the first half, a sign of the defensive workload they endured.

The final numbers tell the story: 15 shots to 5, 33 box touches to 15, 10 corners to none. Duels were evenly split at 48-47, but Napoli's 90% pass accuracy and 317 opposition-half passes underscored a control that never fully translated into a second goal. The 1-0 margin reflects a performance that dominated every attacking metric without the clinical edge to kill the game.