Napoli fights back but draws 2-2 against Hellas Verona in Serie A setback

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

MILAN (AP) — Title-chasing Napoli was surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw at home by relegation-threatened Hellas Verona on Wednesday but it could have been worse for the defending champion.

Antonio Conte’s team found itself 2-0 down at halftime before fighting back in the second half.

Napoli was left in third before first-place Inter Milan’s match at lowly Parma later.

Inter hosts Napoli on Sunday.

Verona took a surprise lead in the 16th minute through a Martin Frese backheeled flick, and there was even more of a surprise 11 minutes later when the visitors doubled their lead with a Gift Orban penalty following an Alessandro Buongiorno handball.

Scott McTominay headed Napoli back into the match early in the second half and the hosts had two goals disallowed before Giovanni Di Lorenzo finally equalized in the 82nd minute.

Verona inched to within two points of safety.

Elsewhere, Atalanta won 2-0 at Bologna to leapfrog its opponent into seventh place.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Daniella Matar, The Associated Press