April 15, (THEWILL) – Napoli faced a slight setback in their pursuit of a long-awaited Serie A title after they were held to a goalless draw by Hellas Verona at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Despite being 14 points clear at the top of the table, Napoli’s lack of inspiration in the game was evident, with star strikers Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia starting the match on the bench.
The game saw Napoli’s Matteo Politano score what was believed to be the opening goal after 20 minutes, but it was ruled out due to offside interference from Mathias Olivera. Napoli struggled to create chances, with Verona’s Kevin Lasagna forcing a fine save from Napoli’s goalkeeper Alex Meret.
The late introductions of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia did not change the result as the relegation-threatened visitors held firm and even came close to snatching a win when Cyril Ngonge missed a glorious chance. Even though Napoli’s first Scudetto since 1990 seems like a formality, manager Luciano Spalletti will expect far better from his team in the UCL quarter-final second leg against AC Milan.
As for the Scudetto, Napoli cannot afford to be complacent in their remaining league games even as significant improvements are necessary to progress to the next round in the UCL. That crucial fixture is on Tuesday, while Hellas Verona will play Bologna in their next Serie A game on Friday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
