Italian media deliver merciless verdict on ‘disastrous Dutchman’: ‘What a drama queen!’ | Goal.com

Published on 24 Oct 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Sam Beukema has come under fire in the Italian media after Napoli's 3-3 draw with AS Roma. The defender came on in the second half on Saturday and, according to several newspapers, played a major part in Roma's comeback for the wrong reasons. His role in the late equaliser has drawn the sharpest criticism. The word "disastro" (disaster) features prominently in Italian assessments of Beukema.

Starting on the bench for the big Serie A clash, Beukema replaced the injured Benoît Badiashile in the 52nd minute. Napoli led 2-0 at that point, but Roma came back. The Dutchman failed to provide the defensive stability Napoli needed.

After the match, Italian sports media gave Beukema a rough ride. Tuttomercatoweb, Sky Italia and Calciomercato rated the defender 5, while TuttoNapoli and Il Mattino were harsher still, giving him 4.5.

Beukema drew criticism for his defending as Matías Soulé pulled a goal back. According to TuttoNapoli, the former AZ player visibly hesitated and gave the attacker too much space. Il Mattino also criticised the Dutchman's performance, saying he had shown insufficient conviction in his defensive actions.

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In the 89th minute, Beukema went to ground after slight contact with Leonardo Balerdi while Roma continued their attack. La Gazzetta dello Sport was particularly harsh, saying the Dutchman feigned an elbow strike in the hope that the referee would stop play. "Play-actor!"

VAR saw no reason to disallow the goal, so Napoli surrendered a lead once again. Italian media argued that Beukema should have stayed on his feet after the minimal contact and defended. Instead, he remained on the ground, leaving Balerdi space to head in the equaliser.

Calciomercato described his substitute appearance as a disaster and said Beukema had completely betrayed manager Massimiliano Allegri's trust. The outlet criticised the defender for his hesitation over Soulé's goal and called his actions for the 3-3 equaliser "quasi simulazione".

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