Napoli solidified its position at the top of Serie A on Sunday, overcoming the absence of injured star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has expressed a desire to leave the club. Coach Antonio Conte confirmed that Kvaratskhelia, affectionately dubbed “Kvaradona” by fans in tribute to Diego Maradona, is likely to join Paris Saint-Germain. Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding their teammate, Napoli’s players remained focused and secured a 2-0 victory against Hellas Verona, extending their lead to four points over Inter Milan, who temporarily occupied second place after a 1-0 win at Venezia.
The match marked a significant turnaround for Napoli, who had previously suffered a 3-0 defeat to Verona in Conte’s debut. This time, Napoli took control early, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s fifth-minute goal—an own goal credited to Verona’s goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò—setting the tone. Although Frank Anguissa missed a golden opportunity to double the lead shortly after, he redeemed himself in the 61st minute with a stunning strike from outside the area, following a well-executed one-two with Romelu Lukaku.
In other Serie A action, Inter Milan rebounded from a disappointing defeat in the Italian Super Cup to secure a narrow victory over Venezia. After losing 2-0 to AC Milan in the Super Cup final, Inter faced an injury crisis but managed to take the lead in the 16th minute through Matteo Darmian, who capitalized on a rebound from Lautaro Martínez’s volley. Venezia nearly equalized late in the match, with Gianluca Busio hitting the post, but Inter held on for their sixth consecutive away win without conceding. Meanwhile, Genoa celebrated their first home league victory of the season, edging past Parma 1-0, while Roma’s Artem Dovbyk salvaged a late draw at Bologna with a penalty in stoppage time.
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