Wing wizard Kvaratskhelia netted in each half after Matteo Politano's 27th-minute opener as Napoli moved closer to Milan who host Juventus on Sunday night. Rudi Garcia's side stay fifth after a difficult start to the season but are level on 17 points with Fiorentina and third-placed Juve after a commanding display at the Stadio Bentegodi.

Kvaratskhelia has struggled to recapture the form which made him one of the shining lights of last season's title triumph but showed signs he might be getting back to his brilliant best. The Georgia attacker doubled Napoli's lead two minutes before the break after being sent down the left flank by Politano - who swept home Giacomo Raspadori's cross to open the scoring - and slamming in a low finish at Lorenzo Montipo's near post.

And he netted the crucial third nine minutes after the break when he was left almost the entirety of Verona's half of the field to race onto Politano's looping pass. Kvaratskhelia looked to have wasted the chance when he slowed down his charge but he easily skipped past Giangiacomo Magnani and rolled home his third league goal of the campaign.

That strike turned out to be very important as from nowhere Verona sprang into life and pulled one back on the hour mark when Darko Lazovic pounced on hesitant defending and roofed a finish past Alex Meret. The hosts then pushed hard to get back into the game and forced Meret into a pair of smart saves, while Milan Djuric also sent a thumping header just wide eight minutes after Lazovic's goal.

However Marco Baroni's side couldn't close the gap any further and stay 16th, four points above the relegation zone after their fifth defeat in nine games. Later on Saturday Inter Milan are at Torino where a win would allow them to move above their local rivals Milan at the summit.

October 21, 2023

D. Lazović

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