Error code: %{errorCode}
Can Lukaku’s return save Napoli’s season?
There was something almost cinematic about the way Romelu Lukaku celebrated his first goal of the 2025-26 season – a stoppage-time winner that kept Napoli’s faint Scudetto hopes flickering just a little brighter.
With Napoli clinging to a 2-1 lead away at Hellas Verona on Sunday, it was Lukaku who pounced in the sixth minute of added time to sweep Giovane Simeone’s cross past the despairing Verona goalkeeper and spark wild scenes among the travelling supporters.
It was his first strike since May of last year and arrived after a spell out that limited him to just 41 minutes of football all season.
Napoli’s league position – third on 53 points – scarcely reflects the weight of expectation that comes with being defending Serie A champions, but Lukaku’s return could yet prove decisive.
The veteran centre-forward’s presence offers a tangible psychological boost as much as a tactical one. It was clear at the Bentegodi that the team, beleaguered by a three-match winless run in all competitions before Sunday, found a renewed sense of purpose when Lukaku stepped off the bench and into the box in the dying moments.
Tactically, the way Napoli have integrated Lukaku since Antonio Conte took over has been telling. Rather than insisting he immediately revert to a sole striker leading the line for 90 minutes, Conte has used him sparingly – in short, impactful bursts that capitalise on his aerial prowess, strength under pressure and knack for being in the right place at the right time.
As much as Rasmus Hojlund’s early opener set the tone for Napoli on Sunday, it was Lukaku’s composed finish that underlined why his role can be more than ornamental.
That said, expectations need calibration. Napoli remain some distance behind the pace-setters in Serie A, with the gap to league leaders Inter Milan sitting at 14 points – a reminder that, while Lukaku’s goal delivered three priceless points, Napoli’s quest to challenge for silverware still faces structural hurdles.
(C)Getty images
Where Lukaku can have his greatest impact is in the subtler margins: creating space for team-mates through intelligent movement, drawing defenders out of position and providing a mentor-like figure for younger attackers who have shouldered much of Napoli’s creativity in recent months.
If his late winner against Verona is a sign of things to come, Napoli may yet have the firepower to protect their European aspirations and narrow the gap to their Milanese rivals – not with a bang, but perhaps with the slow burn of a striker rediscovering his confidence and form.
How much does it cost to watch Serie A on DAZN?
UK Italian football fans can purchase a dedicated Serie A subscription to get all 380 games of the 2025-26 season live.
US and Canadian customers get Serie A as part of their regular DAZN subscription.
