Napoli v Hellas Verona Live Commentary & Result, 4/15/23, Serie A

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	NAP Napoli	37	27	6	4	75	28	+47	87	D W L W D
2	LAZ Lazio	37	21	8	8	58	30	+28	71	W W D L W
3	INT Internazionale	37	22	3	12	70	42	+28	69	W L W W W
4	MIL Milan	37	19	10	8	61	42	+19	67	W W L W D
5	ATA Atalanta	37	18	7	12	61	46	+15	61	L W L L W
6	ROM Roma	37	17	9	11	48	37	+11	60	L D D L D
7	JUV Juventus	37	21	6	10	55	33	+22	59	L L W W W
8	TOR Torino	37	14	11	12	42	40	+2	53	W D W D W
9	FIO Fiorentina	37	14	11	12	50	42	+8	53	W D W L D
10	MON Monza	37	14	10	13	46	47	-1	52	L W W D D
11	BOL Bologna	37	13	12	12	50	47	+3	51	D W D D L
12	UDI Udinese	37	11	13	13	47	47	0	46	L L L W D
13	SAS Sassuolo	37	12	9	16	46	58	-12	45	D L L D L
14	EMP Empoli	37	10	13	14	37	47	-10	43	D W D W W
15	SAL Salernitana	37	9	15	13	48	60	-12	42	W D W L D
16	LEC Lecce	37	8	12	17	31	43	-12	36	W D D L L
17	SPE Spezia	37	6	13	18	30	60	-30	31	L D W L L
18	VER Hellas Verona	37	7	10	20	30	56	-26	31	D L L W L
19	CRE Cremonese	37	4	12	21	34	69	-35	24	L L L W D
20	SAM Sampdoria	37	3	10	24	24	69	-45	19	D L D L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

The draw will not affect Napoli a lot as they are still 14 points ahead of second-place Lazio, but it is another big point in Verona's fight for safety. Napoli face Milan in the Champions League before facing Juventus in the league next weekend. Verona host Bologna in their next fixture.

It was a fairly quiet first half with neither side creating a lot of opportunities. Napoli thought they scored after Politano's strike was deflected in, but it was ruled out for offside after the defender was obstructed. Meret managed to make an easy save to stop the only shot on target from Verona as the half ended 0-0. The second period was almost identical to the first. Napoli looked to push for a goal but Verona defended valiantly. Osimhen almost scored on his return from injury, but could only hit the woodwork as the match finished goalless.

90' + 5' FULL TIME: NAPOLI 0-0 HELLAS VERONA

S. Verdi

Yellow Card

90' + 4' Verdi receives a yellow card for a poor tackle on Kim.

90' + 3' Verona are completely focused on defending now as they look to secure an important point against the league leaders.

K. Kvaratskhelia

Yellow Card

90' + 1' Kvaratskhelia sees yellow after committing a foul due to frustration.

90' + 1' WHAT A MISS! Ngonge is clean through on goal and has plenty of time to prepare his shot, but his effort is well wide of the target! A truly awful miss from the player.

P. Dawidowicz

Yellow Card

90' Dawidowicz receives a yellow card for an unnecessary challenge.

89' Kvaratskhelia dribbles past two players before playing Osimhen into the box. The striker shoots on his weaker foot from a tight angle and misses the target.

C. Ngonge

K. Lasagna

87' Verona now make their final change of the game as Ngonge replaces Lasagna.

86' A long throw from Verona almost causes Napoli a problem in the box, but the visitors fail to create a shooting opportunity amongst the chaos.

K. Zedadka

M. Politano

84' Napoli make their fifth and final change of the match as Zedadka comes on for Politano.

83' CROSSBAR! Osimhen smashes the woodwork from the edge of the box! The ball rebounds to him and he shoots first-time on the half-volley, but he cannot hit the back of the net!

81' CHANCE! Di Lorenzo chops past two players inside the box before shooting. He leans back too much and fires over the bar! Napoli still have not registered a shot on target today.

80' Napoli appeal for a penalty at one end after Osimhen goes down following a challenge from Hien, but Verona win a free-kick at the other end as Jesus commits a foul.

F. Terracciano

Yellow Card

78' Terracciano is shown a yellow card for a clumsy and needless challenge.

77' The Napoli players and fans are becoming very annoyed with the referee as another decision goes in favour of Verona.

75' Zielinski tries his luck from outside of the box, but he fails to beat the first defender with his attempt. Verona are slowly dropping deeper into their own half as the game goes on.

V. Osimhen

G. Raspadori

73' Osimhen makes his return from injury as he replaces Raspadori.

S. Lobotka

E. Elmas

73' Lobotka comes on for Elmas in the Napoli midfield.

72' Spalletti is preparing to make more changes as Napoli are finding it very difficult to get a hold of this game.

S. Verdi

O. Duda

70' Verdi replaces Duda to add more pace to a potential counter-attack.

F. Terracciano

M. Faraoni

70' Terracciano comes on for Faraoni on the right side of the Verona team to help defend Kvaratskhelia.

67' Verona are slowing the game down as much as they can to counteract the Napoli changes. A faster tempo would suit the hosts.

D. Coppola

F. Ceccherini

65' Coppola replaces Ceccherini as Verona look to keep their energy level high.

M. Đurić

A. Gaich

65' Gaich makes way for Duric in the Verona attack.

P. Zieliński

D. Demme

64' Zielinski replaces Demme in the Napoli midfield.

K. Kvaratskhelia

H. Lozano

64' Kvaratskhelia comes on for Lozano as Napoli look to score the opener.

62' Spalletti is starting to prepare a few substitutions as Napoli need to find a breakthrough soon.

60' Napoli have stopped the opposition from scoring a first-half goal in 22 of their 30 games, only Lazio (25) have done this more often in the Serie A this season.

58' Napoli are trying to be more direct now as they look for early passes to Raspadori and Lozano, but the attackers are struggling to hold the ball up.

56' Di Lorenzo leaps highest in the box to get on the end of a cross from Anguissa. He nods the ball past the right post and Verona have a goal kick.

54' The Napoli players are increasing their movement off the ball to try and break Verona down, but the organisation of the visitors' defence is very good.

52' Verona almost work a shot at goal, but Lasagna's lay off to Gaich is not powerful enough and Napoli manage to win a free-kick in their own box.

50' Spalletti is furious on the sideline after Lozano is not awarded a foul in his own half. The winger is back on his feet and play continues.

48' The second half is starting in very similar fashion to how the first was played. Napoli are slowly moving the ball around as Verona sit in a compact shape.

46' Verona get the second half underway at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona!

Spalletti has a lot of firepower on his bench with Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, but he may want to rest them for their Champions League second leg on Tuesday. Verona will be happy with a point against the league leaders, but they can certainly push for the win in this game.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: NAPOLI 0-0 HELLAS VERONA

45' There will be a minimum of one additional minute.

44' The Napoli fans are trying to spur their side on, but motivation seems to be low among the players.

42' Napoli are trying to attack through the middle of the pitch instead of going down the wide areas, which is why they are playing with a lot of patience at the moment. Verona are doing their best to force it onto the wings.

40' Verona are dropping deeper into their half as the game approaches half-time. They are finding it difficult to move the ball forward without forcing a long ball.

38' The tempo of the match is very slow, which is favouring Verona rather than Napoli. The home side are searching for a goal before the break.

36' The Verona midfielders are doing very well to draw clever fouls to relieve the pressure on their side. Duda draws Anguissa into a challenge before winning a free-kick.

34' Kim this time dribbles all the way into the box before Hien puts in a tackle. Napoli are having a lot more success when dribbling up the pitch compared to passing.

32' Verona are doing well to frustrate Napoli and keep them away from the penalty area. The away side will want to start creating a few chances of their own.

30' Kim drives forward with the ball before trying to find Raspadori, but his pass is cut out promptly. Napoli have lost some of the momentum they had built before the disallowed goal.

28' Politano cannot believe that he has not been awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box following a quick counter-attack. The referee is not interested in the appeals.

26' Napoli try a free-kick routine from the training ground and try to catch the Verona defenders sleeping. The eventual cross into the box is poor and the visitors have a goal kick.

24' Tameze is almost through on goal after a reverse pass from Depaoli, but Meret rushes out and gets to the ball before the Verona player.

22' Verona have only won twice in Naples in Serie A, the last time on 2 January 1983 (1-2, with Piero Fanna's brace); since then, in 17 previous matches, there’s been 13 Napoli wins and four draws, including those in the last two such matches (both 1-1).

20' GOAL DISALLOWED! Politano's deflected strike ends up in the back of the net, but the linesman raises his flag for offside!

18' Verona are very much on the back foot now as Napoli take control of this game. The hosts will want to make the most of this possession and take the lead.

16' Napoli sweep through the middle of the Verona defence, but Olivera's pass to Raspadori is too powerful and Montipo gathers the ball.

F. Ceccherini

Yellow Card

14' Ceccherini receives the first yellow card of the day after a foul on Politano.

13' Napoli are passing at a much faster tempo now as they push Verona toward their own goal in search of an opener.

11' This match is somewhat end-to-end as both sides are attacking with numbers, but they are just finding it difficult to create a clear scoring opportunity.

9' Dawidowicz takes a long throw for Verona but Demme clears the ball away. Politano tries to attack down the other end only for Hien to make a good tackle.

7' Napoli are patiently waiting for an opening in the Verona defence as they pass the ball from side to side. They are struggling to find a progressive pass at the moment.

5' Verona are allowing Napoli to move the ball around the halfway line as they are sitting deep in a compact shape.

3' Napoli are holding a very high line to begin this match. Verona are trying to capitilise on this by playing lofted passes over the top of the defence.

1' Napoli get the game underway at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona!

The players are making their way out of the tunnel and onto the pitch!

Lasagna has scored four goals against Napoli in Serie A: against no team has he scored more in the competition (also four against Benevento); the Verona striker scored against the Partenopei in the reverse fixture, and they could become the fifth team he scores against in both seasonal matches (Crotone 2017/18, Benevento 2017/18, Genoa 2019/20 and Cagliari 2020/21).

Spalletti makes four changes from the Napoli side that beat Lecce as Jesus, Olivera, Demme, and Politano all start. Zaffaroni makes five changes as Dawidowicz, Ceccherini, Abildgaard, Depaoli, and Gaich come into the starting 11.

SUBS: Alessandro Berardi, Simone Perilli, Simone Verdi, Milan Djuric, Filippo Terracciano, Jayden Braaf, Cyril Ngonge, Yayah Kallon, Juan Cabal, Diego Coppola, Sulemana.

Hellas Verona (3-4-1-2): Lorezno Montipo; Pawel Dawidowicz, Isak Hein, Federico Ceccherini; Marco Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Oliver Abildgaard, Fabio Depaoli; Ondrej Duda; Kevin Lasagna, Adolfo Gaich.

SUBS: Davide Marfella, Pierluigi Gollini, Mario Rui, Victor Osimhen, Amir Rrahmani, Bartosz Bereszynski, Piotr Zielinski, Alessio Zerbin, Karim Zedadka, Leo Ostigard, Stanislav Lobotka, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Juan Jesus, Mathias Olivera; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Diego Demme, Eljif Elmas; Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Hirving Lozano.

Verona are certainly the underdogs heading into this match as they have the worst away record in the league this season, not winning any of their 14 games on the road. They are currently in 18th place and four points off safety, but have played a game less than 17th-place Spezia. Marco Zaffaroni’s side did end a six-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over Sassuolo.

Two defeats against Milan in the space of 10 days, including a 4-0 thrashing in the league, has taken away some of Napoli’s momentum. Due to their position in the Champions League quarter-final, Luciano Spalletti may choose to rest some of his players in this fixture. Napoli could go 16 points clear at the top of Serie A if they beat Verona.

Hello and welcome to the live commentary of the Serie A fixture between Napoli and Hellas Verona.

Napoli v Hellas Verona Live Commentary, 4/15/23

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