Antonio Conte’s Napoli looked toothless and lacking in ideas during a shock 3-0 defeat to Hellas Verona, as Dailon Rocha Livramento and Daniel Mosquera made dream Serie A debuts.
Both sides already stuttered in the Coppa Italia this summer, the Partenopei needing penalties to get past Modena and Hellas losing 2-1 to Cesena. Victor Osimhen, Michael Folorunsho and Mario Rui were left out pending transfers, plus Alessandro Buongiorno with a sprained ankle and Alessio Zerbin suspended. The hosts missed Juan Manuel Cruz, with Tomas Suslov not at 100 per cent.
See how it all unfolded on the LIVEBLOG.
Verona lost Serdar after just 20 minutes to an injury and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa had the first chance on 33 minutes, nodding just over from a Giovanni Di Lorenzo cross.
Stanislav Lobotka swept the finish inches over the bar from the edge of the box on a Matteo Politano pull-back, but Napoli simply had to score on the stroke of half-time.
A terrible back-pass sent Kvaratskhelia clear on goal and he had his eyes only on the goalkeeper, not realising that Jackson Tchatchoua was flying across to make a result-saving block. After that move, the Georgian felt dizzy and asked to come off, having received a knock to the back of the head from Pawel Dawidowicz in the opening minutes.
Kastanos went close for Hellas after the restart, his fierce left-foot curler bending just wide from the edge of the area.
It was a warning, as Verona opened the scoring with a well-worked counter-attack, as Darko Lazovic got down the left and rolled across for Rocha Livramento to just flick it past Alex Meret with his toes, having got in front of Juan Jesus.
Anguissa was unlucky not to draw Napoli level 10 minutes later, his first-time swerving strike from the edge of the area thumping the frame of the goal.
Di Lorenzo’s cross-shot was palmed round the near post, but it was Verona who doubled their lead. Suslov battled to win the ball back in midfield and Ondrej Duda swept the first-time pass through the middle for substitute Daniel Mosquera, who kept his cool on his Serie A debut to beat Meret.
It could’ve been 3-0, as Meret flew to palm away the Mosquera volley after Tchatchoua blazed past Pasquale Mazzocchi.
Cyril Ngonge tested Lorenzo Montipò, his former teammate, but otherwise Napoli rarely troubled the Verona goalkeeper.
Instead, Hellas rounded out the scoreline for 3-0 in stoppages when Harroui got away from Matias Olivera and pulled back, the scuffed Lazovic finish turning into an accidental assist for Mosquera.
Verona 3-0 Napoli
Livramento 50 (V), Mosquera 75, 94 (V)
Player statistic
| Diego Coppola |  |
20' | ||
| Jackson Tchatchoua | |
31' |
| Dailon Rocha Livramento (Assist: Darko Lazovic) |
 |
50' | ||
| Daniel Mosquera (Assist: Ondrej Duda) |
|
75' | ||
| Ondrej Duda | |
77' | ||
| 89' | |
Giacomo Raspadori | ||
| Reda Belahyane | |
90+1' | ||
| Daniel Mosquera (Assist: Darko Lazovic) |
|
90+4' |
Match statistic
Not many were expecting that.
I wonder how long Conte will last if the players don’t respond to him.