Napoli were forced to settle for a third consecutive Serie A draw after being held to a 0-0 stalemate by Parma in the rescheduled 16th round fixture at the Maradona Stadium.
The result leaves the azzurri still searching for a breakthrough in league play, as Antonio Conte’s side once again dominated territory and possession but failed to convert control into goals. Conte, serving a touchline ban and watching from the stands, made several changes to his starting line-up, handing a recall to Lang from the opening whistle and restoring Mazzocchi to the first eleven.
Parma coach Cuesta, meanwhile, opted for heavy rotation, leaving established names such as Pellegrino and Bernabé on the bench. The spotlight, however, fell firmly on 22-year-old goalkeeper Filippo Rinaldi, who was handed his Serie A debut and emerged as the key figure of the evening.
Napoli started aggressively and thought they had broken the deadlock as early as the 11th minute when Scott McTominay found the net. Celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled out the goal due to Mazzocchi being marginally offside in the build-up.
From that moment on, Rinaldi became the central protagonist. The young Parma goalkeeper produced a series of composed and confident saves in the first half, most notably denying Alessandro Buongiorno from close range before reacting sharply to keep out a powerful effort from Højlund.
Napoli maintained the pressure after the interval, pushing Parma deeper into their own half. Conte attempted to change the rhythm of the match by introducing Neres and Spinazzola, while Lucca was thrown on late in a final attempt to force a winner. Despite the attacking reinforcements, clear cut chances remained limited, with Parma’s defensive organisation holding firm and Rinaldi continuing to impress between the posts.
Parma, for their part, rarely threatened going forward but executed their game plan with discipline and patience, successfully frustrating Napoli and slowing the tempo whenever possible.
The final whistle confirmed a frustrating night for the home side, who move to 40 points, level with Milan, who are in action away at Como. Parma, meanwhile, climb to 22 points, with the draw representing a valuable result both in terms of confidence and league position.
For Napoli, the inability to turn dominance into victories is becoming a growing concern, while Parma leave Naples encouraged by the composure shown by their debutant goalkeeper and the solidity of their collective performance.
