Killed by their own: Without ex-United men Napoli can only lose again
Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 18.10.25. | 21:10
With McTominay and Hojlund sidelined, the Neapolitans put in a poor performance on the road against Torino, as their loanee in Turin, Giovanni Simeone, scored a winner - 1-0
In the second consecutive Serie A game, Napoli were trailing 1-0 at the break. Last week against Genoa, Antonio Conte's men made a massive comeback and triumphed 2-1 thanks to Rasmus Hojlund's winner.
Today, they were without the injured Dane and Scott McTominay, and Kevin De Bruyne couldn't do anything alone. Hence, it's no wonder the Neapolitans fell seriously short and lost to Torino on the road - 1-0. The decisive moment occurred in the 32nd minute, when Napoli's loanee in Turin, Giovanni Simeone scored a winner and "killed" the team he's under contract with!
Giovanni Simeone comes back to haunt his former side as Napoli drop crucial Serie A points against Torino 👻🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/KBS0nQYjc0
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) October 18, 2025
Truthfully, the Neapolitans were better throughout the match, especially in the first half, but they failed to exploit this and take the lead. Instead, they allowed way too many attempts to Torino - as many as nine - one of which ended up behind Vanja Milinkovic Savic's back, putting the home crew in front!
That goal hurt even more knowing that it was Il Toro's only attempt on target in the first half and that it was scored by Napoli's loanee in Turin, Giovanni Simeone! The Argentinian seized the chance after Billy Gilmour's poor reaction, dribbled the ball past his namesake, the Neapolitans' captain Di Lorenzo, and the custodian, and netted his third Serie A goal of the season.
Giovanni Simeone keeps his cool to put Torino ahead! 🧊#TorinoNapoli 1-0 pic.twitter.com/DsB5oUmi42
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 18, 2025
After the break, Conte tried to boost energy into his ranks, subbing on the more offensive Noah Lang for the full-back Matias Olivera, but alas, nothing helped. To make matters worse, De Bruyne was far from his level. He lacked help from the sidelined McTominay, while his cooperation with the striker Lorenzo Lucca was much less productive than with the absent Hojlund.
The subs Matteo Politano and Eljif Elmas also brought little to Conte's crew's pursuit of the leveller, as Torino's sturdy defence held out and secured Il Toro's massive upset.
The "wild ride" in this match ended with Lang's 94th-minute goal, which was later disallowed for offside, completing the Serie A champions' absolute shock!
Following this surprising loss, Napoli could drop to fifth Serie A place if Inter, Juventus and AC Milan win their games, while Roma could gain a three-point edge at the top of the table with a win. Given that they "blew up" their chance to lead the title race, now the Neapolitans will depend on their rivals' results.
SERIE A - MATCHDAY 7
Saturday
Lecce - Sassuolo 0-0
Pisa - Verona 0-0
Torino - Napoli 1-0 (1-0)
/Simeone 32/
21.45: (3.25) Roma (3.40) Inter (2.35)
Sunday
13.30: (3.00) Como (3.20) Juventus (2.45)
16.00: (3.60) Cagliari (3.25) Bologna (2.15)
16.00: (2.15) Genoa (3.15) Parma (3.70)
19.00: (1.75) Atalanta (3.60) Lazio (4.90)
21.45: (1.55) Milan (4.00) Fiorentina (6.25)
Monday
21.45: (3.10) Cremonese (3.25) Udinese (2.55)
***odds are subject to change***
