Verona put three past Napoli to give Conte poor start to reign
Never far from the headlines thanks to his antics on the touchline and in press conferences, Conte set about reviving a Napoli outfit that surrendered the Scudetto without as much as a whimper last term.
Criticism of his style of play in England hasn’t previously been prevalent in Italy, however, the Partenopei desperately struggled to create chances in an attritional opening half-hour in Verona, with both sides combining for a measly 0.01 xG.
The absence of wantaway striker Victor Osimhen was clearly hurting the visitors as they struggled for a focal point in attack.
Midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa was the first Napoli player to threaten an opener, but he couldn’t keep his header down and missed the target. Stanislav Lobotka then flashed an effort over the bar, but Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò went into the interval without being stressed.
The visitors suffered a major blow in the minutes before the break, with winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia forced off injured. The hosts, who failed to even register a shot of any description before the break, looked to capitalise on their under-strength opposition, but Grigoris Kastanos’ effort from outside the area curled off target.
Napoli failed to heed that warning, and within five minutes of the restart, they were behind. Dailon Rocha Livramento was the man to get it on his Serie A debut, steering Darko Lazović’s sumptuous outside-of-the-boot cross into the far post, instantly endearing himself to the home faithful.
The visitors set about a response, and Anguissa continued to lead the charge as he came the width of the woodwork away from restoring parity when his drive from the edge of the box came back off the bar. Any Napoli comeback hopes were soon over, however, as Daniel Mosquera doubled the hosts’ lead within a minute of coming off the bench.
The Colombian coolly curled into the far corner beyond Alex Meret before doubling his personal tally in stoppage time, sweeping home at the back post as the Mastiffs ended a three-match losing streak in home H2Hs, while Napoli’s away day woes continue – they’ve won just two of their last 13 Serie A road trips.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Darko Lazovic (Hellas Verona)
