LNapoli’s aspirations of returning to the Serie A summit took a significant blow as they fell to a stunning 2-1 defeat against Como at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday.
The setback extended their winless streak to four matches, leaving them in second place with 56 points from 26 games, trailing league leaders and reigning champions Inter Milan by a single point. Meanwhile, promoted Como climbed to 13th place with 28 points.
The visitors endured a disastrous start when Kosovan defender Amir Rrahmani inadvertently put the ball into his own net in the seventh minute.
Attempting to deal with a throw-in from Matteo Politano, Rrahmani’s miscue caught goalkeeper Alex Meret off guard, much to the frustration of manager Antonio Conte.
Napoli responded swiftly, restoring parity just ten minutes later when forward Giacomo Raspadori capitalized on a defensive lapse to slot the ball past Como’s goalkeeper Jean Butez.
However, the decisive moment arrived in the 77th minute when 19-year-old Assane Diao produced a brilliant finish after receiving a pinpoint pass from midfielder Nico Paz.
The goal marked Diao’s third consecutive game on the scoresheet in Serie A.
Reflecting on his match-winning performance, Diao expressed his gratitude to the club and coaching staff.
“I’m enjoying myself, every day even in training, and I think this also shows on the pitch. I have to thank the team, the coach, and the club for everything they are giving me,” he told DAZN. “I have to be free on the pitch, I feel a lot of the confidence that [Como head coach Cesc] Fabregas gives me and this allows me to be free on the pitch.”
Despite Napoli dominating possession with 60% in the first half and creating promising opportunities, Como grew into the game after the break and emerged as the stronger side.
This victory marked only the second time in history that Como had beaten Napoli in Serie A, with the first win dating back to 1952.
Napoli’s Scott McTominay came close to putting his team ahead in the second half, only to be denied by Butez, while Rrahmani nearly redeemed himself with a last-minute equalizer, but his effort drifted agonizingly wide.
Antonio Conte acknowledged the disappointment of the result, emphasizing the team’s mental struggles in recent games.
“It’s definitely a setback that hurts because of the way it came, because on a mental level we showed cracks, just like in the last three games where we always got caught up,” he admitted. “I think the boys are really giving their best but we need to make a path and give time to grow, not only from a technical-tactical point of view but also in terms of mentality.”
Conte also pointed out the psychological pressure that comes with being title contenders.
“Then we’ve been playing since the beginning of the year with this pressure, which fortunately we brought on ourselves, being there at the top of the table or at least being close. This was absolutely not expected. Now we have to face it in the best way, trying to analyse why in the second half the others showed more nastiness, they won all the duels, they had more hunger and more desire.”
Napoli will now shift their focus to a crucial clash against league leaders Inter Milan at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next Saturday, a match that could prove pivotal in the title race.
