Kerim Alajbegović is gradually establishing himself at Juventus, and after scoring the winning goal in an otherwise extremely dull Serie A derby against Napoli, his stock has risen considerably among both the fans and the coaching staff – 2-0. One goal against NEC in the Europa League and one assist against Cagliari had been Alajbegović’s contributions in a Juventus shirt until now. What he did tonight was worth more than anything else so far. Just when it seemed that the Old Lady's supporters were about to fall asleep in their seats, when questions about the meaning of life or whether they had remembered to switch off the iron before leaving for the stadium were running through their minds – because thoughts tend to wander when there is nothing worth watching on the pitch – Alajbegović appeared and settled the Serie A derby with a thunderous 20-metre strike off the post.19&41 – Kerim Alajbegovic (19 anni 41 giorni) è il marcatore straniero più giovane ad aver segnato nella sfida tra Juventus e Napoli in Serie A; in generale è il 3° più giovane, dopo Bruno Nicolè nel 1958 (18a 230g) e Felice Placido Borel nel 1933 (18a 334g). Perla. #JuveNapoli https://t.co/zsPyAjThhd— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 1, 2026 The Bosnian international didn't just produce his most valuable contribution since joining Juventus; he also saved manager Luciano Spalletti's job. The renowned coach would have been on his way out had Juventus failed to beat Napoli tonight. Italian media had been buzzing about his potential departure for days. And despite the victory, it has to be said that Juventus looked completely lost. Napoli were even worse. However, as poor as the match itself was, the goals were spectacular. Napoli goalkeeper Meret was left diving at thin air, unable to get anywhere near either Alajbegović's or Boga's strikes.Juve sinking, Spalletti worse than Tudor and MottaUltimately, the victory matters more than the quality of the performance. It brings some much-needed peace of mind, at least for the time being, allowing Spalletti to turn his attention to the Europa League clash against AZ Alkmaar with a depleted squad missing Conceição, Yildiz, González and Locatelli. Massimiliano Allegri can use his absence from the Napoli dugout as an excuse. The decorated manager was serving a two-match suspension for his behaviour after the game against Roma. Nevertheless, he was the one who set up the tactics and selected the starting lineup, neither of which worked in Turin. Not even remotely.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Perhaps Napoli's fate would have been different had Lorenzo Lucca made better contact with his header in the eighth minute, but Vicario managed to save it. Then, for almost 20 minutes, virtually nothing happened until Cabal hit the post with a shot following a set piece. Before halftime, there was a Lang effort that went over the bar and an Alajbegović attempt that the goalkeeper saved. There was even less to talk about after the break. Not a single clear-cut goalscoring opportunity emerged. Everything pointed towards a goalless draw and a share of the points. And then Alajbegović unleashed a rocket to make it 1-0, before Jérémy Boga added a second goal late on to seal the 2-0 victory. Anyone who hadn't watched the match might have assumed Juventus had cruised to a comfortable win. However, the boos that greeted Kolo Muani as he left the pitch said everything about the state of Juventus's attack. Fortunately for them, their long-range artillery did more than enough to get the job done tonight.