The two sides played out a phenomenal contest at the San Paolo, displaying all of the wonderful traits that characterise the country's game, which many will refuse to admit exist

By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Editor

They say it is boring. They say it is defensive. They say it is full of divers and whingers. We knew they were wrong, but last night we were given our greatest proof yet. The 3-3 draw between Napoli and Juventus was the best game to be seen anywhere in the world this season. Played at the highest level, it had magnificent attacking play from start to finish with drama injected throughout, showcasing just what Serie A has to offer real football fans.

Inside the first 30 seconds, there was already a sense of real intent from the home side. Juan Camilo Zuniga wonderfully beat two men and chipped a teasing ball into the Juve box. And for the first 45 minutes, it would be Napoli who would continue to make most of the running.

Up against an unbeaten Juventus outfit who have led the way in attacking terms both with and without the ball, they became the first side to ask constant questions of the Bianconeri’s back four since the days before Antonio Conte. And, with two fantastic midfield pairings matching up, it was Napoli’s duo of Gokhan Inter and Walter Gargano who got on top of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal in the opening stages.

Goals were always going to follow, and inside a quarter of an hour it seemed the Partenopei had opened the scoring. Ezequiel Lavezzi got in behind Pirlo and was brought down, with Marek Hamsik firing home the resulting penalty. However, when he was asked to take it again due to encroachment by a handful of players, he fired high over Gianluigi Buffon’s bar. Yet it took the Slovakian just seven minutes to make up for the miss, stooping to head home after Leonardo Bonucci could only nod Lavezzi’s free-kick back across goal.

MATCH FACTS | Napoli 3-3 Juventus



Shots

On Target

Possession

Territory

Corners

Bookings

Napoli

10

7

40%

49%

3

3

Juventus

10

7

60%

51%

5

4

Napoli continued to hit the league leaders on the break, responding to Juve’s attempts to force them back by instigating lightning counters. And even without top-scorer Edinson Cavani, they had sufficient goal threat in Goran Pandev. The Macedonian was the quickest to react when Pirlo was beaten in the tackle by Christian Maggio and the ball squirmed into the box, firing low past Buffon, having spun off the back of Giorgio Chiellini with Bonucci still on the floor after his failed clearance.

As the teams left the field at half-time, the TV cameras paid particular attention to Conte, the coach facing his biggest test to date if Juventus were to maintain their unbeaten record. Whatever he said in the changing rooms clearly worked. When play resumed, suddenly it was the away side offering the greater threat. Pirlo was allowed more space as Vidal was given greater licence to get forward, stretching the previously-dominant Inler and Gargano out of their natural positions.

The increased territory paid immediate dividends, Vidal galloping forward to play a beautifully-disguised reverse pass for Alessandro Matri to slide home from his first real chance. It appeared that this would spark a more testing period for Napoli, but their response was to regain a two-goal lead.

Again it was Pandev’s movement which undid them, the former Inter striker taking a touch, teeing the ball up for himself with his knee and volleying home left-footed after Bonucci had committed himself to Maggio’s cross too late and ended up prostrate once more.

The pulsating nature of the game still had some way to go, though. Moments later, Marcelo Estigarribia poked home superbly ahead of Morgan De Sanctis after excellent play from Mirko Vucinic, and it became clear that, whatever the result, this was going to be one for the ages.

Many people claim that there needs to be a victor in any real classic, but that theory was blown out of the water by Simone Pepe 11 minutes from time. The Italian winger, who was the match-winner against Lazio at the weekend, became Juve’s saviour after Chiellini broke up a Napoli attack. Pepe picked up the ball and drove at the heart of the home defence, before showing brilliant reactions when his attempted pass fell back into his path to take a touch and fire low past De Sanctis.

Antonio Conte | Passed his toughest test yet as Juventus coach

The attacking intent, the excellent instinct, the technical ability… the goal had everything that the game had showcased. It was a worthy final word, even if it wasn’t a winning one. Juve had come back from two down against a team who last week saw off the supposedly-superior Premier League’s runaway leaders. Manchester City didn’t have the ability on the ball to respond, but the Bianconeri did.

Pepe claimed after the game that the draw was as good as a win and, but for the two extra points, he was right. Juventus came across their greatest test to date and passed with flying colours. Conte responded to his most difficult situation by sending his players out to stretch the home defence some more, and it brought its reward.

Napoli kept going until the end and could easily have snatched the win from any one of the second-half free-kicks Stephan Lichtsteiner gave away when already on a yellow card. It could have gone 4-3 either way, but it would have been unjust.

A game for the ages, played by two superb sides with very different – yet similarly very attacking – approaches, rightly rewarded both teams. Football was the winner, and the Serie A haters are the losers once more.