Napoli had to come from behind to draw 2-2 with Verona in Wednesday's Serie A match, but the scoreline was overshadowed by Antonio Conte's anger at a first-half penalty decision against Alessandro Buongiorno, which denied the Scudetto holders a chance to move temporarily top.
The home side trailed 2-0 after Martin Frese's first Serie A goal and a Gift Orban spot-kick, before Scott McTominay struck and Giovanni Di Lorenzo levelled late on, extending Napoli's unbeaten home run to 23 matches and keeping them four points behind leaders Inter.
The main talking point came when Buongiorno tried to clear a dropping ball with a header, only for it to brush his upper arm, with the referee awarding Verona a penalty after a lengthy VAR check, a call that
left Conte furious and sparked questions about current handball interpretations.
Conte also saw another VAR decision go against Napoli when Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund stretched to finish what seemed a crucial goal, but replays showed the ball had made contact with Hojlund's arm earlier in the move and the equaliser was ruled out.
That disallowed goal did not trigger the same criticism from Conte, who avoided a direct attack on the officials over that incident, but when addressing Buongiorno's punishment, Conte delivered one of the strongest comments of the season regarding the difficulty defenders face with current handball interpretations.
"Hojlund's goal was disallowed because I don't know where he should have had that arm. We have to accept them and we accept them. What is Buongiorno to do with that arm? Does he have to amputate it? It becomes difficult, but we move on. "
Full time#NapoliHellasVerona 2-2 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/Rq4xbOV5yLOfficial SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) January 7, 2026
Napoli vs Verona Serie A comeback and Conte’s assessment
Beyond the controversy, Conte acknowledged Napoli's problems before half-time, when the team conceded twice and missed the chance to go top for one night, but also highlighted the response after the break as McTominay ended his longest Serie A goal drought since joining Napoli in 2024.
"In the first half there were two negative episodes for us, we could have done better. On the penalty there was a somewhat peculiar assessment.but we accept it. These two episodes could kill anyone. In the second half we were good at putting our heads on our shoulders. We had the strength to score two goals, and that's what counts. "
Napoli vs Verona Serie A result shapes build-up to Inter clash
Napoli's draw left Inter four points clear after Inter beat Parma 2-0 on Wednesday, adding extra weight to Napoli's next Serie A fixture, a trip to the league leaders on Sunday, where the defending champions will try to close the gap despite the frustration from the Verona match.
Looking ahead, Conte underlined the level of the coming challenge against Inter, who have reached two Champions League finals in the past three seasons, and stressed that squad selection would again demand full commitment from every player involved at San Siro.
"We will face a strong team that has made two Champions League finals in the last three years. We will go there with great desire and determination. We will do the count as always and those who play will give their best. "
