Napoli have been defeated 1-0 at the Stadio San Pa0lo by a well organised Chievo team on Sunday afternoon.
An early second half Maxi Lopez goal decided this tie after Gonzalo Higuaín saw his first half penalty saved by Chievo keeper Francesco Bardi.
The result sees Chievo claim their first three points of the new season.
Napoli
Rafael – 6 – Quiet
Apart from picking the ball out the net for Maxi Lopez’s winner the Brazilian had very little else to do.
Christian Maggio – 5 – Lacking
Got forward well but his final product was lacking.
Juan Zuniga – 6 – Dangerous
Was a constant danger down the left hand side, especially as the game progressed. He linked well with his teammates further up the field.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 7 – Impressive
The big Frenchman was impressive in his second Serie A outing. A commanding presence, he was rarely beaten in the air. Perhaps could have done better in the oppositions penalty area.
Raul Albiol – 6 – Soild
A fairly solid display from the big Spaniard, although he should have stuck closer to Maxi Lopez for the goal.
Gökhan Inler – 6 – Uninspiring
A quite afternoon for the Swiss international who really failed to have an impact upon the match.
Jorginho – 5 – Mediocre
The deep lying playmaker failed to provided the cut edge final ball that his team so clearly needed. Was substituted for Jonathan De Guzmán midway through the second half.
José Callejón – 7 – Threat
Was a constant danger throughout the match and caused problem for the Chievo defense with his clever movement.
Marek Hamsik – 6 – Ineffective
The captain was unable to provided the necessary spark that his side needed in order to break down a well organised Chievo side. He tested the opposition goalkeeper a few times but never really came close to scoring.
Lorenzo Insigne – 6 – Faded
Caused problems for the Chievo defense in the first half and was denied on several occasions by Bardi. In the second half he faded and was replaced.
Gonzalo Higuaín – 6 – Tricky
Won his side a penalty at the mid point in the first half but saw his effort from the penalty spot saved by the brilliant Bardi who he was unable to beat all afternoon.
Substitutes
Jonathan de Guzmán – 5 – Quiet
Scored a late winner last weekend the Dutchman was unable to have the same impact this time around.
Dries Mertens – 6 – Menace
Came on for Insigne in the 58th minute was was a threat to the Chievo defense, constantly cutting inside and causing problems.
Duván Zapata – 5 – Fruitless
Came on and showed why he won’t be challenging Higuaín was a starting spot any time soon.
Chievo
Francesco Bardi – 8.5 – Brilliant
An outstanding display from the young goalkeeper who kept his side in the game on several occasion. Saved Higuaín’s penatly and continued his heroics with a string of acrobatic saves.
Cristiano Biraghi – 6 – Improving
Started the game very shakey, he did improve as time went on.
Nicolas Frey – 7 – Assured
Didn’t offer his side much going forward but was solid and assured when defending. Kept Insigne quiet and proved just as effective with Mertens when he came on.
Boštjan Cesar – 6 – Clumsy
Gave away the penalty with a clumsy foul on Higuaín in the first half. His goalkeeper bailed him out on that occasion. The Slovene did go on to make some important tackles late in the game when Napoli were pushing for an equaliser.
Dario Dainelli – 7 – Commanding
A commanding display from the veteran who was important in organising his sides defense.
Përparim Hetemaj – 6 – Energetic
It was an energetic afternoon for the midfielder who was busy throughout the match in closing down the opposition.
Dejan Lazarevic – 7 – Powerful
Caused Napoli problem when he broke down the left hand side. He scored in the first half but was unfortunate to see his effort ruled offside. None the less he put in a good performance for his team.
Mariano Izco – 7.5 – Decisive
Provided an outstanding through ball to put Maxi Lopez in for the games only goal. Was a creative force for Chievo and he should be very happy with his display.
Ivan Radovanovic – 6 – Concrete
Returned from injury to feature in this match and the Serb put in a solid midfield display constantly closing down the opposition and put in some important challenges.
Valter Birsa – 5 – Quiet
A quiet afternoon for the trequartista who was largely nullified by the opposition.
Maxi Lopez – 7.5 – Impressive
Playing up front alone, the Argentine hitman put in an excellent shift and was a constant threat to Napoli with his impressive work rate.He saw an acrobatic effort strike the crossbar in the first have but was far more deadly when Izco put him through in the second. A cool finish from the striker saw him take all three points for his team.
Substitutes
Isaac Cofie – 6 -Reliable
Came on and caused Napoli a few issues with his forward runs.
Rubén Botta – 5 – Silenced
Came on for the ineffective Birsa but was unable to have too much on an impact on the game either.
Alessandro Gamberini – N/A
