Torino adds to Napoli’s woes with comprehensive victory
Napoli’s dismal season continued as it succumbed to a seventh defeat of the season in Serie A, losing 3-0 at Torino.
Antonio Sanabria, Nikola Vlasic and Alessandro Buongiorno got the goals as Walter Mazzarri’s defending champion had another shocker.
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 leader 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 it 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.
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, after a VAR intervention.
Torino soon doubled its 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 its ninth-placed opponent.
