Kvicha Kvaratskhelia confirmed his extraordinary start to the season with two goals – including a stunning curler – as Napoli swept Monza aside 4-0, with Kim Min-jae also on target.
The Partenopei had new signings Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone and Tanguy Ndombele on the bench, but stuck with the XI that beat Verona 5-2 in the season opener. Andrea Petagna faced his former teammates, having made the move to Monza just over a week ago, with Matteo Pessina not fully fit, Pablo Mari, Carlos Augusto and Mota Carvalho injured.
Kim Min-jae’s header on a corner looped inches over the bar and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa’s attempt was charged down, while Victor Osimhen’s header into the ground was palmed out from under the bar.
The deadlock was broken in spectacular style, because Kvicha Kvaratskhelia cut inside from the left and curled a sensational right-foot finish in off the far top corner of the upright, leaving the Monza goalkeeper no chance.
Samuele Birindelli drilled wide and Osimhen was denied clear on goal by a perfectly-timed Marlon tackle in the box, but Osimhen did get away on an Anguissa slide-rule pass for 2-0 and drilled the finish through Di Gregorio’s legs.
Monza lost Andrea Ranocchia straight after the restart, as he slipped and seemed to badly sprain his right ankle, needing a stretcher.
Kvaratskhelia continued his sparkling start to the Serie A season, gathering from Stanislav Lobotka and shimmying past Antov to place the angled drive under Mattia Valoti’s sliding attempted block.
Monza had the ball in the net moments later with a Petagna free header on a corner against his former club, but it was disallowed after the VAR review for his push on Amir Rrahmani.
South Korea international Kim Min-jae got his debut Serie A goal too, a glancing header on a Piotr Zielinski corner in stoppages.
Napoli 4-0 Monza
Kvaratskhelia 35, 62 (N), Osimhen 45 (N), Kim Min-jae 93 (N)