Napoli’s dismal season continued as they succumbed to a seventh defeat of the season in Serie A, losing 3-0 at Torino.
2023/2024 Serie A
3-0
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
5' Match Event for Torino vs Napoli
16' Highlight from Torino vs Napoli
21' Highlight from Torino vs Napoli
40' Match Event for Torino vs Napoli
44' GOAL! Torino 1-0 Napoli (Antonio Sanabria)
50' Red Card! Simone Mazzocchisent off
53' GOAL! Torino 2-0 Napoli (Nikola Vlašić)
61' Highlight from Torino vs Napoli
64' Match Event for Torino vs Napoli
66' GOAL! Torino 3-0 Napoli (Alessandro Buongiorno)
90' Highlight from Torino vs Napoli
Match Report
Antonio Sanabria, Nikola Vlasic and Alessandro Buongiorno got the goals as Walter Mazzarri’s defending champions had another miserable afternoon.
A dismal afternoon for the visitors was compounded by the 50th-minute dismissal of Naples-born wing-back Pasquale Mazzocchi, less than three minutes into his debut.
They are now winless and without a goal in four matches and lie 20 points behind leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli had a 20-3 aggregate goal advantage in the last eight meetings of these two teams in Turin, winning seven and drawing the other.
However, it was destined to be the hosts’ day from the moment Sanabria broke the deadlock two minutes before half-time.
Duvan Zapata flicked an Ivan Ilic free-kick on for the Paraguay international, who tucked the ball away left-footed from six yards.
Napoli’s hopes of getting back into the contest were killed off as they made a sloppy start to the second half.
Zapata had already forced Pierluigi Gollini into a save at his near post less than two minutes after the restart when the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
FULL TIME: #TorinoNapoli 3-0
#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/nRqGYCz6TO
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) January 7, 2024
Mazzocchi, a half-time substitute for Piotr Zielinski, had been on the pitch for three minutes when he received a yellow card for a high, reckless challenge on Valentino Lazaro. However, referee Maurizio Mariani then decided to dismiss the 28-year-old Napoli debutant, following VAR intervention.
Torino soon doubled their advantage, Vlasic beating Gollini with a well-placed low right-footed shot into the corner two minutes later.
Sanabria hit the post from eight yards and Zapata failed to tuck the rebound away from close range, with Gollini blocking with his foot then scooping the ball away before it could cross the line.
However, the dominant hosts made it 3-0 in the 66th minute when central defender Buongiorno headed home a Lazaro corner.
Giovanni Simeone skied an 80th-minute attempt at a consolation goal, capping a miserable Napoli display as Torino moved to within a point of their ninth-placed opponents.
Line-ups
Torino XI: Zapata, Rodriguez, Djidji, Lazaro, Sanabria, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Vlasic, Bellanova, Buongiorno, Ivan Ilić, Samuele Ricci
Subs: Tameze, Linetty, Mërgim Vojvoda, Karamoh, Pellegri, Luca Gemello, Mihai Popa, David Zima, Saba Sazonov, Demba Seck, Gvidas Gineitis
Napoli XI: Juan, Mario Rui, Zielinski, Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, Politano, Rrahmani, Gollini, Jens Cajuste, Giacomo Raspadori, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Subs: Demme, G.Simeone, Nikita Contini, Pasquale Mazzocchi, Alessio Zerbin, Alessandro Zanoli, Gaetano, Jesper Lindstrøm, Hubert Idasiak, Luigi D'Avino