Matteo Politano scored a goal and provided two assists for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia as Napoli swept Verona aside at the Stadio Bentegodi.
Rudi Garcia managed to avoid getting the sack, but the pressure was still on and the squad damaged by injuries to Victor Osimhen, Eljif Elmas and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa. Hellas were without Juan Cabal, Isak Hien and Jayden Braaf, managing two points and two goals in the last six rounds.
Lorenzo Montipò flew to fingertip a Matteo Politano curler out from under the bar, then got down to parry the Giacomo Raspadori ferocious touched-on free kick.
The deadlock was broken when Raspadori got down the left and floated a ball to the back post for Politano to keep the volley down from seven yards.
It was almost 2-0 moments later, as Raspadori was again crucial sending Jens Cajuste through, but Montipò came rushing out to block.
Serdar blasted just over the bar, but Napoli doubled their lead when Politano sent Kvaratskhelia down the left, who pretended to pull back from the by-line, instead squeezing the finish between the near post and goalkeeper with his left foot.
Verona made three changes at the break and they made an immediate impact, when Federico Bonazzoli tested Alex Meret from close range.
However, after Kvaratskhelia wasted one potential counter-attack, he did not do it a second time on another Politano assist, cutting inside to sweep into the far bottom corner with the inside of the right boot from 12 yards.
Verona got back into it with an unusual error, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo misjudged the flight of Marco Davide Faraoni’s cross, allowing Darko Lazovic to smash into the roof of the net relatively undisturbed.
Raspadori’s free kick was fingertipped over the bar, while Milan Djuric nodded wide of the near post and Cajuste’s angled drive skimmed the upright.
Meret needed a fantastic one-handed save to deny Bonazzoli from close range and Giovanni Simeone fired wide, while the Napoli goalkeeper smothered a deflected Lazovic strike that went through a sea of legs.
Michel Folorunsho also forced a save out of Meret with a sudden snapshot and Montipò stuck out a leg to deny Alessio Zerbin.
Verona 1-3 Napoli
Politano 27 (N), Kvaratskhelia 43, 55 (N), Lazovic 59 (V)
Player statistic
| 27' |  |
Matteo Politano (Assist: Giacomo Raspadori) | ||
| Giangiacomo Magnani |  |
37' | ||
| 43' | |
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Assist: Matteo Politano) | ||
| Davide Faraoni | |
44' | ||
| 44' | |
Mário Rui |
| 55' | |
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Assist: Matteo Politano) | ||
| Darko Lazovic | |
60' | ||
| Federico Bonazzoli | |
65' | ||
| 80' | |
Jesper Lindström |
Match statistic
