Before the match, the two teams differed by only 1 point. Lazio fell to second place after two consecutive defeats, while Napoli rose to third place after three successive victories, surpassing Inter Milan. Rea, who once led Napoli back to Serie A, faced his old team. In the 16th minute, Mauri made a long pass over the top, and Zarate, after controlling the ball and breaking free from offside, advanced into the penalty area and scored with a left-footed shot to the far corner, making it 1-0. The Napoli players protested that Zarate had handled the ball first, but in fact, he touched it with his chest. Napoli fiercely counterattacked and almost equalized in the 29th minute when Yebda's continuous two attempts from distance were blocked, and Lavizzi's curling shot from the edge of the box hit the far post. In the 39th minute, Brocchi was substituted by Matuzalem due to a back injury. In the 62nd minute, Hernanes delivered an overhead pass, Zarate set it up for Floccari, and Floccari pushed it into the bottom-right corner, making it 2-0. In the 77th minute, Zarate turned and cut inside from the left flank, and from 23 meters out, he struck with his right foot; the ball deflected off Cannavaro Jr.'s head, looping over the goalkeeper De Sanctis and hitting the crossbar. This marked Napoli's first league away defeat this season. At 19:30 Beijing time on November 14 (12:30 local Italian time), the 12th round of Serie A began with its third match, as Lazio defeated Napoli 2-0 at home, temporarily reclaiming the top spot with a 2-point advantage. Zarate scored the opening goal and assisted Floccari in scoring, also hitting the crossbar. Napoli's striker Lavizzi also struck the doorframe.