With an exhibition of play culminated with a great goal in the 87th minute, a shot from outside the area that slipped into the top corner, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia resurrected Napoli against a Hellas Verona (2-1) that began taking the lead on the scoreboard but did not know how stop the reaction of the locals, who despite maintaining bad feelings, achieved three fundamental points to get closer to Europe. The Georgian genius showed what he is capable of a few days before hosting Barça, the Neapolitans' rival in the Champions League round of 16.
Naples suffered to achieve the needed and urgent victory. And the beginning of the match left the best feelings of the season in the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. Because the 'azzurro' team seemed to once again have certain traits of that team that not so long ago was unstoppable, perhaps knowing that it was superior to a team that was robbed in January and is fighting to avoid relegation.
But the first good collective minutes, led by a once again decisive Kvaratskhelia who looked for the goal from the first minute, pushing the rest of his teammates in the pressure and organizing the offensives, quickly turned into that false feeling of control that accompanies Mazzarri's team. .
Two shots from 'Kvara' forced Montipò to start with his recital of stops, but they activated a Verona that managed to do damage every time it went on the counterattack, leaving once again an example of the evident defensive weaknesses of a team that he still has to cling to the goal of finishing the season in European positions while trying to prepare for the Champions League round of 16 match against Barcelona.
In the second part the story did not change. Isolated attacks from wasted premises. Naples was just an opportunity for Simeone and the push of 'Kvara'. Nothing else. And in the 72nd minute, punishment came for the Italian champions. Almost routine at this point in the season. A shot with Coppola's back put Napoli even more on the ropes.
Mazzarri's team had no choice but to go on the attack. Mazzochi had it with a shot that Montipò took and whose rebound fell at the feet of Lindstrom with the same result, a handball from the Verona goalkeeper.
The situation did not invite us to dream of a comeback but perhaps out of nowhere the player destined for this match appeared. Ngonge, who until a few days ago was a Verona player, appeared on the penalty spot to tie the score against his former team and justify his signing in his first official match.
At that moment the game changed. Napoli became big and Verona began to shake. A shot from Anguissa and a very clear chance from Simeone seemed to exhaust the comeback options, but the undisputed protagonist of this team appeared in the absence of Osimhen, playing in the Africa Cup.
Because if something characterizes 'Kvara', it is his perseverance. She doesn't stop trying. This time he got a three-point reward. He picked up the ball, made space in the front and put it in the corner. Incontestable. A goal that brings Naples closer to Europe (7th), which resurrects him after a few minutes in which he was dead. Verona (18th) is still in the fight for relegation.
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Naples: Gollini; Lawrence, Rahmani, John Jesus, Mario Rui (Mazzocchi, m.52); Anguissa, Lobotka (Dendoncker, m.85), Cajuste (Ngonge, m.62); Politano (Lindstrom, m.62), Simeon (Raspadori, m.85), Kvaratskhelia.
Greece Verona: Mount; Tchatchoua, Coppola (Magnani, m.84), Dawidowicz, Cabal; Doubt (Tavsan ,m.86), Serdar, Folorunsho; Lazovic (Vinegar, m.81), Suslov (Silva, m.81); Noslin (Swedish, m.60).
Goals: 0-1, m.71: Coppola; 1-1, m.79: Ngonge: 2-1, m.87: Kvaratskhelia
Referee: M. Piccinini. He cautioned Mario Rui (m.46), Lindstrom (m.68), Lobotka (m.76) for Naples; and Coppola (m.33), Baroni (coach, m.36) by Hellas Verona.
Incidents: match corresponding to the twenty-third day of Serie A, played at the EEstadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples (south).
