Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s incredible strike saw Napoli come from behind to beat Verona 2-1 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Serie A.
A dramatic final 20 minutes saw Verona take the lead through Diego Coppola in the 72nd minute, but Napoli shortly equalised seven minutes later through Cyril Ngonge – who joined them from their opponents last month.
Kvaratskhelia then capped a dramatic comeback in the 87th minute with a fantastic goal dispatched into the top corner to win it for the hosts.
Napoli were straight out of the blocks to dominate in the opening stages with Matteo Politano firing in some dangerous crosses and they had a penalty shout waved away in the seventh minute when Kvaratskhelia was brought down in the box.
The Georgian forward had a fantastic chance minutes later with a powerful effort across goal that forced Lorenzo Montipo into a save at full stretch to tip the ball away.
Kvaratskhelia tested the goalkeeper again after blasting a first-time volley just outside of the box but Montipo reacted well to stop the ball finding the bottom corner.
Verona did well to defend a dangerous free-kick from Kvaratskhelia before the visitors went on the attack just before the break with Michael Folorunsho flicking the ball past the post before Darko Lazovic’s ambitious effort from distance curled wide.
The visitors had a great chance to take the lead minutes into the second half when Ondrej Duda’s free-kick found Coppola at the back post but the defender fired wide.
Verona threatened again when Lazovic’s curling effort was palmed out for a corner by Pierluigi Gollini.
Montipo was called into action at the other end to punch away Kvaratskhelia’s free-kick before the resulting corner saw the goalkeeper deny Giovanni Simeone from close-range.
Following some great pressure throughout the half, Verona took the lead in the 72nd minute when Tomas Suslov’s free-kick curled to Coppola at the back and the ball bounced off the defender’s shoulder across goal into the bottom corner.
Napoli pressed for the equaliser and came close minutes later when Montipo kept out Pasquale Mazzocchi’s shot before making another brilliant save to tip Jesper Lindstrom’s powerful strike from the rebound over the bar.
The hosts managed to level in the 79th minute when Lindstrom played a low cross into former Verona player Ngonge, who was unmarked in the box and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
Kvaratskhelia completed the turnaround with a stunning strike, turning outside of the box before sweetly curling the ball into the top right corner and despite some late pressure from Verona the hosts were able to see the game out.
Under-fire Stefano Pioli respects Milan fan protests
Stefano Pioli said he respects the opinions of Milan's supporters after thousands of fans carried out a silent protest during Sunday's 3-3 Serie A draw against Genoa at San Siro.
With Milan enduring a second straight trophyless season, trailing champions Inter by 18 points, Pioli has come under pressure amid suggestions the Rossoneri have held talks with former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui.
Irritated fans unfurled banners demanding improvements to the team during Sunday's match, while the club's ultras stayed silent in protest throughout the game.
Fans then left behind a banner which read "the sound of silence" as they filed out en masse from the Curva Sud shortly after Olivier Giroud had put Milan 3-2 ahead in the 75th minute.
By the time Genoa pulled level late in the match, thanks to an own goal by Malick Thiaw, the stand was completely empty.
"The fans have chosen this type of protest and we just need to respect them," Pioli, whose side have already secured their spot in next season's Champions League, said.
"Our fans have been an added value in recent years. They will have their reasons if they chose this protest."
Sunday's draw also means Milan are winless in their last four league matches.
"The start was poor. We didn't have the proper concentration and unity in the opening 20 minutes and conceded an early opener," Pioli said.
"Then, we created many opportunities but also made many errors. It's a shame we didn't win because it would have been important for the table."
Postecoglou: Spurs have a confidence problem to overcome
Ange Postecoglou says that Tottenham need to "overcome" their low confidence after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs slipped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, being left to bemoan their slow start as they found themselves 4-0 down by the hour mark thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott.
Richarlison came off the bench to salvage some pride for Spurs, scoring one before setting up Son Heung-min for a goal on his 300th Premier League appearance.
Spurs had the opportunity to cut the gap to the top four after Aston Villa’s defeat to Brighton, but they remain seven points off a Champions League spot.
Postecoglou’s side still have a game in hand over the Villans, though he was sure that Spurs would be able to put their recent poor run behind them.
Asked if Spurs had a confidence problem, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "Maybe in the front third there is.
"It probably is a bit of a lack of confidence, but again, that's something the guys have to work through.
"You have to find a way to overcome that because, ultimately, if you don't put pressure on the opposition in the front third after you've worked your way up there, they're going to get comfortable with their position."
Spurs have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games, failing to win any of the last five.
Despite that run extending at Anfield, Postecoglou highlighted what he thought was an improvement on their recent performances.
He continued: "Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us but at least we were more like ourselves today in terms of our football.
"Our last two away games at Newcastle and Chelsea, apart from the results which weren't great either, we just didn't try and play our football.
"I thought today, even in the first half, some of our football, our pressing was back to where it should be."
Roma 1-1 Juventus: Juve miss chance to close gap to second after draw with Roma
Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw at Roma on Sunday, missing the chance to close in on Milan in second place in Serie A.
Roma took the lead after 15 minutes when Romelu Lukaku found himself in the perfect position to tap in the rebound from a Bryan Cristante shot.
Bremer levelled with a header for Juventus just after the half-hour mark when Federico Chiesa picked him out inside the box from a corner.
Both sides had chances to find a winner in the final minutes, with Roma keeper Mile Svilar making a fingertip save to push Manuel Locatelli's volley over the bar.
Third-placed Juventus have 66 points, five fewer than Milan, who drew 3-3 with Genoa earlier on Sunday. Roma are fifth with 60 points.
Data Debrief: Leading from the back
Since scoring his first Serie A goal in the 2019-20 season, Bremer is the defender with the most headed goals in the Big-5 European leagues, netting 13 in total. Each of his last seven goals have been headers.
His goal was enough to earn Juventus a point today, but it means that they have drawn each of their last four in the competition - a first since February-March 2012 under Antonio Conte.
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