Antonio Conte’s arrival at Napoli has brought a renewed sense of purpose and winning ways to the club. In their second match under the former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager, Napoli delivered a commanding 3-0 victory over Bologna in Serie A on Sunday. The win erased the disappointment of their opening-day defeat to Hellas Verona and marked a positive start to Conte’s era at the Naples club.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian winger who had been sidelined due to a head injury in the first match, returned to his brilliant best. He was instrumental in Napoli’s victory, setting up one goal and scoring the second himself. His performance was even more impressive considering he had just returned from Georgia after the birth of his first child this week.
The match started with Napoli exhibiting a newfound intensity. Giacomo Raspadori came close to scoring within the first minute, and Kvaratskhelia struck the crossbar with a looping header just before halftime. However, the breakthrough finally came in first-half stoppage time when Giovanni Di Lorenzo capitalized on a brilliant pass from Kvaratskhelia to put Napoli ahead.
Kvaratskhelia was not to be outdone. In the 75th minute, he collected the ball just inside the Bologna half and unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom left corner, with the help of a slight deflection, to double Napoli’s lead. The Georgian winger also had a hand in the third goal, setting up David Neres, who in turn provided the assist for Giovanni Simeone to wrap up the scoring in stoppage time.
While Napoli celebrated their victory, other teams in Serie A suffered surprising defeats. Atalanta, who had won their opening match, was stunned by Torino 2-1. The match saw Atalanta miss a penalty and hit the woodwork twice before falling to their first defeat of the season. Roma also endured a disappointing evening, losing 2-1 at home to Empoli. Fiorentina, meanwhile, played out a drab 0-0 draw against newly promoted Venezia.
The early rounds of Serie A have provided a glimpse of the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the Italian top flight. Napoli, with Conte’s guidance and Kvaratskhelia’s brilliance, are looking to be a force to be reckoned with this season.
