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<\/a><\/p>\nNAPLES, Italy (Reuters) – Leaders Napoli were held to a goalless home draw by relegation-threatened Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday as Luciano Spalletti’s side finished winless for the third time in their last four games in all competitions.<\/p>\n
Napoli, who on Wednesday were beaten 1-0 at AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, saw their advantage over second-placed Lazio narrow to 13 points after Maurizio Sarri’s men grabbed a comfortable 3-0 win at lowly Spezia on Friday.<\/p>\n
Coach Spalletti rested midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and defender Mario Rui from the starting line-up with Tuesday’s return leg in mind, but both Lobotka and Kvaratskhelia were called on in the second half.<\/p>\n
Serie A’s top scorer Victor Osimhen, who returned to Napoli’s match squad after being sidelined with a thigh strain but was expected to be back in action only for the European clash, also came on from the bench.<\/p>\n
Napoli thought they had opened the scoring in the 20th minute but Matteo Politano’s deflected strike was disallowed after Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo was obstructed by a player in an offside position.<\/p>\n
The visitors had a chance to take a surprise lead just before the half-hour mark but striker Kevin Lasagna, who ended a solo run with a powerful shot from a distance, was denied by Napoli keeper Alex Meret.<\/p>\n
Although Napoli enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, reaching 81% in the second half, they appeared toothless against Verona’s solid defence and managed only three shots in the opening 45 minutes, none of them on target.<\/p>\n
The hosts came close to taking the lead again in the 56th minute through a Giovanni Di Lorenzo header which, however, went narrowly wide of the right post.<\/p>\n
Amid a growing sense of frustration, substitute Osimhen then wasted a promising chance in the closing stages when he hit the bar in the 82nd minute.<\/p>\n
Verona could have turned the hosts’ moods from bad to worse by sealing a win in stoppage time through a solo effort by winger Cyril Ngonge who, one-on-one with Meret, struck well wide of the target.<\/p>\n
Verona, who are winless in seven out of their last eight games, are 18th on 23 points, three points from safety.<\/p>\n
They remain the only Serie A side yet to win an away league match this campaign, with five draws and nine losses.<\/p>\n
Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at eighth-placed Bologna earlier on Saturday, with Bologna striker Nicola Sansone opening the scoring inside the first minute and Milan’s Tommaso Pobega equalising in the 40th.<\/p>\n
Stefano Pioli’s men, who would have provisionally moved up one place to third with a win, have now failed to win five of their last six Serie A games.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; editing by Clare Fallon)<\/p>\n
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