Sampdoria leapfrog Napoli with win over Verona
High-flying Sampdoria moved above stuttering Napoli into fourth place in Serie A on Monday thanks to a 3-1 win over 10-man Verona. Sinisa Mihajlovic's visitors took a 28th minute lead when Eder stepped up to convert the spot-kick after Rafael Marquez's foul on the Brazilian winger that earned the 35-year-old Mexican veteran a straight red card. Nico Lopez spurned a chance to level on 33 minutes after being sent clear by Luca Toni, but could only hit a weak shot straight at Sergio Romero. Four minutes later, Toni pulled the hosts level after pouncing when Romero spilled a mishit shot from Panagiotis Tachtsidis. Despite their disadvantage, Verona continued to push forward but ultimately paid for their efforts. When Manolo Gabbiadini took possession wide on the left he swung in an inviting cross for unmarked Stefano Okaka to head past a helpless Rafael from close range. Gabbiadini stung Rafael's gloves on the hour mark but finally got his name on the scoresheet two minutes later after converting Eder's unselfish pass into an empty net. Sampdoria's sixth win of the campaign takes them on to 25 points, 10 shy of leaders Juventus, seven behind second-placed Roma and one behind city rivals Genoa. Napoli, held 2-2 by Empoli on Sunday which was their third successive draw, are a point further adrift in fifth, with Lazio sixth on 23 points. Milan, who lost 1-0 away at Genoa, sit in seventh place 14 points adrift of Juventus with city rivals Inter, who lost 2-1 to Udinese, a further four points adrift in 12th.
