Napoli 0-0 Hellas Verona - Serie A leaders held by doughty visitors in underwhelming goalless draw

Hellas Verona held Napoli to a goalless draw in a largely uneventful match at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Chances were a rarity throughout the majority of the game, as both sides defended deep and struggled to trouble their opponents offensively. Ad Napoli had the ball in the net after 20 minutes when Matteo Politano’s deflected effort snuck in at the far post, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Champions LeagueBennacer goal gives AC Milan first-leg advantage over 10-man Napoli12/04/2023 AT 18:18 Verona threatened a couple of times in a half where chances were few and far between and had their best effort saved by Alex Meret, who beat away Kevin Lasagna’s powerful shot from the edge of the box. Victor Osimhen’s return off the bench would have been a welcome sight for Napoli with a crucial Champions league tie coming up against AC Milan on Tuesday. Until his introduction, the tempo was very slow, but he finally gave Napoli someone to aim at up front.

Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo produced some brilliant footwork inside the box to beat his man before taking aim at goal from an angle, but sent the ball flashing across the face. One minute later, Osimhen rattled the underside of the crossbar with a fierce first-time half volley from the edge of the box. In added time, Cyril Ngonge had the perfect opportunity to snatch the win for Verona at the death, but fluffed his lines in a one-on-one at the crucial moment.