Serie A | Napoli 2-0 Verona: Match Report

Napoli solidified their position at the top of the Serie A table with a convincing 2-0 victory over Verona, thanks to a fortunate deflection from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and a stunning long-range strike from Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa. Despite the win, Napoli’s performance was marked by missed opportunities.

The match came during a challenging period for Napoli’s coach, Antonio Conte, who recently faced a transfer request from star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Additionally, injuries to Alessandro Buongiorno and Mathias Olivera forced David Neres to step in on the left flank. In their previous encounter this season, Verona had handed Napoli a surprising 3-0 defeat.

Napoli opened the scoring just five minutes into the game. Di Lorenzo executed a give-and-go with Romelu Lukaku, curling a shot from the edge of the area that hit the far post and deflected off Verona’s goalkeeper, Lorenzo Montipò, into the net. The home side quickly looked to extend their lead but squandered several chances, including a remarkable miss from Anguissa who shot over from close range.

Lukaku had another opportunity but sent his effort wide after a free-kick routine. Scott McTominay also came close with an acrobatic volley that was deflected off target. Verona managed to threaten Napoli’s goal as well, with Casper Tengstedt’s header narrowly missing and Anguissa’s and McTominay’s attempts going over.

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After halftime, Napoli continued to press for goals. Neres created a dangerous chance but was denied by Montipò’s quick reflexes. The Verona goalkeeper made another crucial save against McTominay’s shot from distance, while Rrahmani had a header cleared off the line.

Napoli finally doubled their lead when Anguissa unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box that found the back of the net. The midfielder celebrated with a heartfelt tribute to a young fan who had recently passed away.

Despite Napoli’s dominance, Verona remained dangerous, with Grigoris Kastanos testing goalkeeper Alex Meret and Cyril Ngonge curling an effort just wide.

Goals: Montipò og 5 (N), Anguissa 62 (N)

Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrhamani, Juan Jesus, Spinazzola; McTominay (77′ Raspadori), Lobotka, Zambo Anguissa; Politano (77′ Ngonge), Lukaku (77′ Simeone), Neres.

Hellas Verona (3-4-1-2): Montipò; Magnani, Coppola, Dawidowicz; Faraoni (77′ Daniliuc), Duda, Belahyane, Lazovic (69′ Bradaric); Suslov; Tengstedt (76′ Kastanos), Sarr (69′ Livramento).

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