Milan — Despite the absence of their injured star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli managed to maintain their lead in Serie A on Sunday. Napoli’s coach Antonio Conte had announced the previous day that Kvaratskhelia, affectionately nicknamed “Kvaradona” by fans in honor of Diego Maradona, expressed a desire to leave the club, with Paris Saint-Germain being a potential destination.
However, Kvaratskhelia’s teammates remained unfazed by the recent developments and went on to secure a 2-0 victory against struggling Hellas Verona, extending their lead to four points over second-placed Inter Milan, who had earlier secured a 1-0 win against Venezia. Atalanta was in third place after a goalless draw with Udinese on Saturday. It is worth noting that Inter has played two fewer matches than Napoli and one less than Atalanta.
Kvaratskhelia was sidelined due to injury for the match in Naples, potentially alleviating what could have been a difficult decision for Conte regarding his inclusion in the match. Previously, Verona had triumphed over Napoli 3-0 in Conte’s inaugural league match as head coach. This time around, Napoli took the lead just five minutes into the game, thanks to a one-two between Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Romelu Lukaku, followed by a shot that hit the left post and inadvertently went in off Verona’s goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò, officially recorded as an own goal.
Moments later, Frank Anguissa had a chance to increase Napoli’s advantage but missed from seven yards out, hitting the ball over the bar and displaying his frustration afterward. However, he redeemed himself in the 61st minute with a stunning goal. He cut inside from the right, connected with Lukaku for another one-two, and then delivered a powerful shot into the near side of the net from outside the box.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, managed to recover from a disappointing defeat in the Italian Super Cup, but their match against relegation-threatened Venezia proved to be tougher than anticipated. After squandering a 2-0 lead in the Super Cup final to city rivals AC Milan, Inter was also facing an injury crisis with several key players either unable to travel or only fit to sit on the bench.
Inter opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Lautaro Martínez skillfully controlled a long ball and, although his volley was deflected by goalkeeper Filip Stankovic, Matteo Darmian was there to capitalize on the rebound. Stankovic, who is on loan from Inter and is the son of club legend Dejan, showcased his abilities with several impressive saves against his parent club. Venezia almost equalized in the 74th minute when United States international Gianluca Busio hit the base of the far post with a curling shot. Nevertheless, Inter held firm, marking their sixth consecutive away victory without conceding a single goal.
Venezia remains in a precarious position, sitting 19th in the league standings and five points adrift from safety. In another crucial matchup, new Genoa owner Dan Sucu watched his team secure a 1-0 victory over Parma in a relegation battle, marking Genoa’s first home league win of the season. Luck played a significant role as Morten Frendrup’s shot took a significant deflection off Parma defender Enrico Delprato to give Genoa the lead in the 65th minute. This win was vital as Genoa moved four points clear of Parma and five points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Roma’s Artem Dovbyk scored a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time to earn his team a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bologna.
