Torino 1-0 Napoli: On-loan Simeone comes back to haunt Serie A champions
Napoli fell to a 1-0 defeat to Torino in Serie A, with Antonio Conte's side slumping to a third straight away loss in all competitions.
Napoli fell to their second Serie A defeat of the season as they went down 1-0 to Torino thanks to Giovanni Simeone's first-half strike.
Simeone did the damage against his parent club on Saturday, as Napoli handed Roma and AC Milan the chance to take top spot in Serie A.
Torino almost stunned Napoli in the 15th minute, as Nikola Vlasic sent a low-driven effort beyond goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who is on loan from Torino, only to be denied by the post.
The visitors responded moments later, as Franco Israel fumbled Kevin De Bruyne's dipping free-kick, but the Uruguayan shot-stopper recovered well to reclaim the loose ball.
Yet Torino made the breakthrough in the 32nd minute as Billy Gilmour's challenge inadvertently played Simeone through on goal, and the striker, who is on loan from Napoli, dribbled it past Milinkovic-Savic before sliding into an empty net to open the scoring.
The reigning Serie A champions ramped up the pressure after the interval, and it almost paid dividends on the hour mark when Frank Anguissa rose highest to meet a cross, only for his header to bounce off the top of the crossbar.
Napoli thought they had salvaged a point in the dying embers, as substitute Matteo Politano's effort clattered against the post before being tapped in by Noa Lang, but VAR came to Torino's rescue, ruling out the goal for offside.
Data Debrief: Napoli's away disappointments continue
Saturday's defeat at Stadio Olimpico Grande means that Antonio Conte's side have now lost three consecutive away games in all competitions. It is the first time Napoli have lost three road matches on the spin since January 2024.
This is only Napoli's second defeat in their last 21 Serie A matches against Torino (W14 D5).
Until Simeone's effort, Torino had failed to score at home in their previous four Serie A outings, with the club avoiding an unwanted five consecutive games without a goal, which would have been their longest run in the competition's history.
