Serie A: Napoli defeats 10-man Parma 2-1 thanks to a debut goal from Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal for Napoli, helping the team defeat 10-man Parma 2-1. It appears that Lukaku has adapted to his new team swiftly.

It appeared as though Napoli would suffer their second loss of the year, but Lukaku, a second-half substitution, helped rescue an equalizer, and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa scored a goal to seal the victory for the visitors.

After Zion Suzuki was sent off in the 76th minute, Lukaku scored his first goal for Napoli in the second of a thrilling 15 minutes of stoppage time. Enrico Delprato was in goal.

Suzuki’s dismissal for a second booking came moments after coach Fabio Pecchia had made his last possible substitutions for Parma, who had taken a shock 19th-minute lead from the penalty spot through Ange-Yoan Bonny.

And Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa thumped home the winning header four minutes after Lukaku’s equaliser to hand Napoli a dramatic second win from their first three matches.

Lukaku netted after being presented to home fans alongside Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour to supporters before kick-off, all three signed in the days leading up to the match with Parma.

“It’s an honour to play for this team, these fans and the players who have welcomed me here so well. It’s been bit of a habit of mine over my career to score on my debut but at the end of the day we won, and that’s the most important thing,” Lukaku told DAZN.

Lukaku was brought in to replace Victor Osimhen who has been excluded from the Napoli squad after failing to find an exit from southern Italy.

Osimhen had been agitating for a move away from Napoli after the club descended into chaos almost immediately after claiming their third league crown last year.

But no club came close to both meeting Napoli’s valuation and satisfying Osimhen’s wage requirements, leaving the 25-year-old in a gilded cage as the club builds a new team for Antonio Conte.