The Nightmare Start: A Backheel and a Penalty
Napoli fans walked into the stadium still celebrating their recent Supercoppa Italiana victory, but that joy evaporated within 30 minutes.
• 16th Minute: Verona stunned the home crowd when Martin Frese scored his first-ever Serie A goal with a "cheeky" backheel flick that left keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic rooted to the spot.
• 27th Minute: Disaster struck again. A handball by Alessandro Buongiorno led to a VAR-confirmed penalty, which Gift Orban coolly converted.
At halftime, the score sat at 0-2, and the whistles from the Napoletani were deafening.
The McTominay Spark & VAR Heartbreak
Whatever Antonio Conte said in the dressing room worked. Napoli emerged as a different beast. In the 54th minute, the "Scottish Warrior" Scott McTominay rose above the Verona defense to head home a Noa Lang corner, igniting the comeback.
The drama reached a fever pitch in the 72nd minute when Rasmus Hojlund thought he had equalized. The stadium erupted, only for VAR to crush their hearts, ruling the goal out for a handball by the Manchester United loanee. Moments later, Amir Rrahmani had another goal chalked off for offside.
The Captain Saves the Day
Just when it looked like Napoli’s 23-game unbeaten home streak was over, the captain stepped up. In the 82nd minute, Giovanni Di Lorenzo latched onto a low cross from youngster Luca Marianucci and swept it into the bottom corner.
Match Summary: Napoli 2-2 Hellas Verona
| Statistic | SSC Napoli | Hellas Verona |
| Possession | 70% | 30% |
| Shots (On Target) | 15 (4) | 11 (4) |
| Goals | McTominay (54'), Di Lorenzo (82') | Frese (16'), Orban (27' pen) |
| Big Chances Created | 3 | 2 |
What This Means for the Scudetto Race
Napoli remains unbeaten at home for the entirety of 2025 and early 2026, but this draw feels like a loss. They are now one point behind Inter Milan, who have a massive chance to extend their lead at the top.
Even more critically, the "Scudetto Showdown" is this Sunday as Napoli travels to the San Siro to face Inter. With stars like Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku still sidelined by injury, Conte has a massive tactical puzzle to solve before the weekend.
Sunday is the big one: Inter vs. Napoli.