(Reuters) – Napoli’s Serie A season kicked off in disastrous fashion on Sunday when they were overwhelmed 3-0 at Hellas Verona and lost star midfielder Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after he collided with an opposing player.
Antonio Conte, in his first league match in charge of the 2023 champions, was forced to take off Kvaratskhelia just before halftime when the Georgian looked uncomfortable following the collision.
Napoli’s problems continued after the break when Dailon Livramento got in front of the defence after five minutes and slotted in a cross from close range to give the hosts the lead.
The nightmare continued for Napoli after 75 minutes when Daniel Mosquera received a through ball and calmly slotted it home to double Verona’s lead.
In stoppage time, Verona scored a third goal as Napoli’s defence faltered, allowing Mosquera to tap in a close-range pass and complete his brace.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon)
