Verona Stuns Napoli with a Dramatic 2-2 Draw at Maradona Stadium
7 January 2026
A dramatic draw at the Diego Armando Maradona
Verona snapped Napoli's run with a thrilling 2-2 draw on Wednesday, played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, in the 19th round of Serie A.
Verona rescued a 2-2 draw against Napoli, in an entertaining encounter in which the stars of the southern Italian club wasted numerous chances against a team struggling near the bottom.
The match saw Napoli squander several clear opportunities, led by Danish forward Rasmus Höjlund.
Napoli, the reigning Italian champions, picked up a point, bringing their tally to 38 and keeping them third in the Serie A table.
Verona took a hard-fought point on the road as they aim to claw away from the bottom three, now 18th with 13 points.
Verona's goals were credited to Martin Frisi in the 16th minute and Geff Urban from a 27th-minute penalty, while Scott McTominay reduced Napoli's deficit in the 54th.
Moments later Höjlund seemed to have doubled Napoli's lead with a brilliant 72nd-minute strike, but VAR ruled it out for handball.
Four minutes after, Höjlund thought he'd scored again but was ruled offside.
In the 81st minute Giovanni Di Lorenzo managed to salvage a point for Napoli.
What this means for the standings
With Napoli dropping a couple of points at home, the title race remains open, while Verona breathe a little easier, knowing they did not lose to stubborn defenses—though their defense might tell a different story.
Punchline 1: If football were a sniper, VAR would be the scope—always precise, even when the shot is not.
Punchline 2: Verona's defense was so tight that even the scoreboard looked for an exit route to avoid counting the goals twice.
