Bardi is forced into yet another late save, before Chievo are able to break upfield somewhat through the running of Cofie. Napoli's last chance appears to have dissipated as Zapata isn't given a penalty for supposedly being impeded.
90' +4
Cesar is able to head yet another Napoli corner clear, with Koulibaly unable to get underneath this one. Chievo are loading their penalty area with yellow shirts, with the hosts' only plan seemingly being to lump long balls into the 18-yard box.
90' +2
Napoli loop another cross into the box from Maggio on the right-hand side, but Bardi easily claims. Benitez's side are certainly running out of ideas, with Higuain's penalty miss looking to be very costly at this point.
90'
G. İnler gets yellow.
There are five minutes of stoppage time for Napoli to find themselves a late equaliser.
88'
De Guzman hooks a through ball towards Zapata, but the Colombian's first touch doesn't enable him to release a shot, allowing for Chievo's defence to mop up the scraps and clear hurriedly. The home side are pushing desperately on for an equaliser here.
86'
Corini continues to be extremely animated in his technical area, urging his team on for the final few minutes of normal time. His side have been well-organised and disciplined, limiting Napoli to merely a handful of chances in this second half period.
85'
With five minutes to go, Chievo have nine men behind the ball and a back five protecting their goalkeeper. Mertens cuts in from the left flank before curling a right-footed effort towards goal, but gets his angles wrong and sends the ball sailing wide.
83'
Chievo's substitutes are providing the fresh legs required in midfield to keep pressing, with the away side having a real belief that they can shut the Partenopei out. Should they manage to, a huge chunk of the plaudits have to go to goalkeeper Bardi. Hamsik shoots from 25 yards but sees his effort charged down.
81'
A. Gamberini enters the game and replaces M. Izco.
Less than ten minutes remain for Chievo to hold out, in what would be an excellent result for the visitors. Corini now makes his final change, replacing Izco with former Napoli defender Alessandro Gamberini.
79'
Inler tries his luck from around 30 yards from goal once again, but is always leaning back and sends the ball high into the stands. Napoli aren't looking likely to find their breakthrough goal, unless the recently introduced Zapata can create a moment of magic.
Minute
Description
78'
D. Zapata enters the game and replaces José Callejón.
Chievo continue to defend well, clearing upfield before trying to press and frustrate Napoli as they looked to build from the back once again. Benitez makes his third substitution, replacing Callejon with Duvan Zapata!
76'
Frustrations are rising for fans and players alike, with Maggio deemed to have brought Biraghi to the ground unfairly when trying to rob the defender of the ball on the edge of his own penalty area. Despite holding the lead, Chievo continue to try and break whenever possible.
74'
There's certainly more of a sense of urgency about Napoli in this second half, but the likes of Callejon and Higuain have been much quieter. Benitez's side doesn't seem able to muster up anything of sufficient quality to beat Bardi.
73'
I. Cofie enters the game and replaces D. Lazarević.
72'
J. de Guzmán enters the game and replaces Jorginho.
Debut hero Jonathan de Guzman comes into the fray in place of Jorginho, while Chievo introduce Isaac Cofie for Lazarevic - needless to say, the former Villarreal midfielder gets a great reception!
71'
Only 20 minutes remain now for Napoli to mount a comeback, with anything less than three points bound to be considered a failure by the home faithful. Callejon shoots across goal from 20 yards, but Bardi is able to beat the ball away to the far side. He's not taking any chances whatsoever!
69'
R. Botta enters the game and replaces V. Birsa.
Ruben Botta is introduced for the visitors, with Valter Birsa the man replaced. The Argentine certainly has the skill and technical ability to cause Napoli some problems, but he isn't the most disciplined option in Corini's armoury.
68'
Napoli continue to turn the screw, with Chievo's back four lining up across their own 18-yard line for much of the second half. Benitez's men are looking slightly predictable, but Higuain only needs a half chance inside the visitors' penalty area to put Corini's side to the sword.
66'
Moments later, Hamsik sees another shot blocked from merely ten yards out! Napoli are trying their luck from a range of different angles and ranges, but can't seem to beat Bardi, who is in the zone this afternoon!
65'
Lazarevic breaks down the left flank well, but is unable to pick out Birsa who is unmarked at the back post! Chievo were able to outnumber their opposition on the break there, with the home crowd really starting to voice their frustration. Bardi is forced into another low save to turn a Hamsik shot behind for a corner!
63'
Hamsik fires wide! The captain receives possession from Maggio, before taking it upon himself to shoot from range due to a pocket of space opening up in front of him. Bardi is happy to watch the ball swerve way wide of his near post.
61'
Huge chance for Napoli! Another corner is curled into the box, with both Koulibaly and Higuain unable to bundle the ball home from merely a few yards out! Bardi is helpless, but very grateful to see his clean sheet somehow stay intact!
60'
Half an hour remains in this game for the Partenopei to find an equaliser, with Corini presumably very pleased with his side's performance thus far. Napoli are starting to turn the screw once again, but Chievo are more than happy to sit back, absorb pressure and then break.
58'
D. Mertens enters the game and replaces L. Insigne.
Benitez makes the first change of the game, with Dries Mertens coming into the fray in place of Insigne, who has been quiet since the restart. The Belgian winger should provide some more drive and creativity in wide areas. Meanwhile, Albiol heads wide at the near post from a corner.
57'
Hamsik and Higuain play a close-quarters one-two in the Chievo penalty area, but the latter's first touch lets him down somewhat. The backspin on the ball bobbles into the awaiting Bardi's arms.
56'
Napoli look long to try and pick out Higuain deep in the opposition penalty area, but the flight of the ball makes it far too easy for Bardi to come out and claim. The Chievo goalkeeper has had a very impressive afternoon so far.
55'
Zuniga uses his pace to break down the left and find Jorginho, before the former Hellas Verona man slides Insigne down the same flank. The early cross from the Italy international is easily dealt with by Dainelli, before Inler drags a shot wide from range moments later.
53'
Napoli win a corner on the right-hand side, as Cesar is forced to clear behind. Koulibaly again jumps highest to meet it, but is penalised for pushing his marker out of the way in order to turn his effort towards goal.
51'
Big questions are now being asked of Napoli's Champions League credentials, with the home fans not taking too kindly to their side falling behind! Frey is felled rather cynically by Zuniga, leading to rather fierce complaints from Corini in the Chievo technical area.
49'
M. López has scored a goal for Chievo! Assist by M. Izco.
GOOOOOAL! CHIEVO TAKE THE LEAD THROUGH LOPEZ! The away side break upfield, leading to the Argentine striker being able to lift a finish over the onrushing Rafael and into the bottom corner! Excellent through ball from Izco to find the goalscorer!
48'
Good save from Bardi! Zuniga tries his luck from 25 yards out, but the Chievo goalkeeper athletically jumps to his left to push the ball away from the top corner! Napoli take the resulting corner delivery, but it is cleared at the near post!
47'
Cesar is on his final warning, after being adjudged to have handled Higuain's flick-on with intent, given that the Chievo central defender already picked up a yellow card in the first half for giving away the penalty. There are no changes at the break.
46'
We are back underway in the second half! Napoli looked the stronger of the two outfits before the break, but Chievo are still right in this game with their belief presumably getting stronger with every minute that passes without the Partenopei opening the scoring.
45'
There is one minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half.
44'
Dainelli intercepts well to deny Insigne from sliding Higuain through on goal, as Napoli continue to try and force the issue before the interval. Chievo look long for Maxi Lopez once again, but Koulibaly beats his man in the air, as the away side's direct gameplan continues to enjoy merely sporadic success.
42'
Callejon and Hamsik combine down the right once again, with the latter delivering a cross, but there isn't a blue shirt in sight within the Chievo penalty area. Corini gives his left-back some encouragement as Biraghi comes over to take a throw-in, as he hasn't had the most enjoyable afternoon thus far.
40'
Maxi Lopez robs Jorginho of the ball on the edge of the Napoli penalty area, but the referee adjudges the former Milan man to have pushed his adversary to the turf. From the resulting free-kick, Maggio breaks down the right, with his eventual cross proving dangerous enough to earn the hosts a corner.
38'
Less than ten minutes until the break and Napoli are still looking the more likely of the two sides to find the opening goal of the game. Jorginho is penalised for a push on Biraghi however, as rash challenges continue to be frequent in the midfield third.
36'
Insigne forces a save from Bardi! A searching diagonal pass finds the Italy international deep in the Chievo box, before he tries to dispatch a cushioned volley across goal! The goalkeeper gets down to his left to parry the ball away from the danger zone. Clever effort!
34'
Dainelli is penalised for blocking a long-range Insigne effort with his arm, earning the defender a yellow card in the process - much to his dismay. The man who won the free-kick takes it, but balloons the dead ball high into the stands.
33'
D. Dainelli gets yellow.
32'
Maxi Lopez strikes the crossbar! The striker is picked out by an excellent delivery from the right by Frey, but his acrobatic effort can't beat Rafael's woodwork! As the Brazilian goalkeeper tries to collect the rebound, the Chievo forward is penalised for a shove.
30'
Half an hour has passed without a goal, despite Napoli testing Bardi's resolve on a number of occasions. Nerves might just start to creep in following Higuain's penalty miss, as the Partenopei begin to wonder if they're destined to score this afternoon. Callejon delivers a cross from the right, but it's too close to the goalkeeper, who claims.
28'
Callejon sees a cross blocked on the right-hand side, leading to yet another Napoli corner. Hamsik and Koulibaly challenge for it, but the former is penalised for climbing on his marker!
27'
Penalty saved by F. Bardi!
SAVED! Higuain steps up to the spot, but the Argentine international fails to beat Bardi! The Chievo goalkeeper guesses correctly, diving to his right to parry away the Napoli striker's powerful penalty!
26'
B. Cesar gets yellow.
PENALTY! Koulibaly is nearly found by another set piece delivery, but Cesar gets there first to deny the Frenchman. Napoli retain possession, before picking out Callejon at the edge of the box, but Cesar brings down the former Real Madrid man clumsily as he makes his way towards goal!
24'
Biraghi is felled by a late challenge from Hamsik, with the hosts unafraid to fly into a few tackles before the half-hour mark - maybe to let their adversaries know that they're lurking. Chievo are able to float a free-kick into the box from deep on the left, but Rafael punches away.
23'
Koulibaly heads over! The former Genk defender steams in at the back post to meet a corner delivery, but can't keep his effort down! He gets plenty of power on the ball, but no direction whatsoever! Despite his claims for another corner, the referee isn't interested.
21'
The opening 20 minutes have been dominated by Napoli, with two good saves from Bardi and several timely blocks keeping the Partenopei out! Chievo are getting forward sporadically, committing two or three yellow shirts forward to support Lopez whenever possible, but the away side's main focus is keeping things tight.
19'
Chievo have the ball in the back of the net for the first time of the afternoon, but the linesman's flag is raised for offside! Lopez works a ball across the box for Birsa to tap home unchallenged, but the former raced beyond the last Napoli defender too quickly at the start of the move.
17'
Insigne manages to bring a save out of Bardi at the near post, with the Chievo goalkeeper doing well to get down smartly to his right-hand side! Napoli are looking bright and are just starting to pick holes in Chievo's thick banks of four and five. Maggio picks up a yellow card for a rash challenge, however.
16'
C. Maggio gets yellow.
15'
Napoli are dominating the early stages, with Benitez's men generating all of the clear cut chances. Higuain has been picked out well on a couple of occasions, while Callejon has also being involved regularly from the right. The appearance of the opening goal appears to be a matter of time.
13'
Insigne sees a shot blocked! Callejon cuts inside Biraghi on the right-hand side, before playing an inviting pass towards the six-yard box! Higuain leaves it for his young teammate, whose first-time effort is well blocked by Cesar! Moments later, Higuain tests Bardi with a well directed header, but the Chievo goalkeeper is easily able to push it away from danger!
11'
Biraghi is forced to concede a corner on Chievo's left, after preventing what could have been a dangerous cross from the byline. The set piece is looped towards the back post, but Dainelli is easily able to head clear under no pressure.
9'
Napoli have settled into this game as the dominant force, but Bardi remains untested in the visiting net. Plenty of yellow shirts are positioned behind the ball, with even Lopez asked to press the man in possession on the half-way line. Maggio crosses from deep on the right, with Callejon seeing a shot well blocked as a result!
7'
Higuain tries his luck from a tight angle inside the Chievo penalty area, but his cross-cum-shot is headed away importantly by Cesar. Moments later, Callejon is released down the right, but the Spaniard doesn't quite have the pace to catch up with the loose ball and find a delivery.
6'
Izco fires over from 20 yards, under some pressure, as Chievo look to test their hosts' resolve early on. Thus far, Koulibaly and Albiol have looked more than assured enough to deal with the lone figure of Maxi Lopez. It could be a long afternoon for the visiting striker.
4'
Maxi Lopez plays a nice flick around the corner for Birsa to chase, but Albiol gets across to cover Maggio well, clearing Napoli's lines early on. Moments later, the former Milan midfielder does get on the ball, but is hauled down by Maggio as he used a clever turn to get by the Italy international.
2'
Half chance for Higuain! Napoli work the ball down the left, with Zuniga feeding Hamsik, before the captain breaks to the byline and cuts back a smart cross! It bobbles its way to the Argentine striker, who is unable to angle his first-time attempt towards goal!
1'
We are underway in the first half! Napoli are in their changed strip of navy blue, while the away side are in their customary yellow. The home crowd are expectant!
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Napoli's Serie A fixture against Chievo at Stadio San Paolo, as Rafa Benitez's men look to maintain their 100% start to the league campaign. The calendar hasn't been kind to today's visitors, facing first Juventus and now the Partenopei, but Eugenio Corini will be hoping for a promising display regardless of opposition.
I'm Simon Harrison and I will be keeping you up to date with proceedings from Naples, as the hosts try to keep pace with the Bianconeri and Roma in the embryonic stages of the league season. Plenty of personnel have been retained by Benitez, with strength also available on the bench. Chievo, on the other hand, will be hoping some new arrivals will boost their survival prospects.
TEAM NEWS: Kalidou Koulibaly retains his place in central defence following an impressive start at his new club, while Juan Zuniga continues at left-back in the absence of Faouzi Ghoulam. Gokhan Inler and Jorginho are selected in deep-lying midfield, with Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon tasked with providing options and service from wide areas. Debut hero Jonathan de Guzman and new Spaniard Michu are among the substitutes.
TEAM NEWS: Ivan Radovanovic starts in central midfield in place of Thomas Mangani, after replacing the Frenchman at half-time in the season curtain-raiser. Alberto Paloschi is again included on the bench, with Maxi Lopez leading the line alone. Dejan Lazarevic comes into the side due to the absence of new signing Ezequiel Schelotto. Otherwise, Corini opts for the same side who were defeated by Juve last time out.
Five minutes remain until the start of the match, so be sure to stick around for all of the action as Rafa Benitez looks to continue Napoli's season in winning fashion, following the international break. Chievo are in terrible form, failing to win during their last five matches, but still have the odd player capable of creating something out of nothing.
The two teams have just come out onto the field and into the afternoon sun, meaning that kick-off is imminent! Stadio San Paolo seems to be in very good voice!
HALF TIME! The opening 45 minutes end goalless at Stadio San Paolo, as Rafa Benitez's side struggle to break down Chievo's staunch resistance. Higuain's missed penalty is the most glaring spurned opportunity, but the Argentine, Callejon and Insigne have also been denied well by Bardi in the visiting goal.
Maxi Lopez struck the woodwork midway through the half, with Chievo also having a goal chalked off for offside, but it remains all square in Naples. The Partenopei need to kick on and find the opening goal in this contest if they are to keep pace with the top teams this season, especially as they boast some quality on the bench.
FULL TIME! Chievo win 1-0 at Stadio San Paolo, courtesy of the heroics of goalkeeper Bardi, who kept out Higuain's first-half penalty and made a host of other important stops. Maxi Lopez's opener proved to be enough to give Corini's side a shock three points! The home crowd are not happy.
The likes of Higuain, Insigne and Callejon went close, but Bardi will presumably take home the man of the match award following a string of top stops. Chievo played on the break with their gameplan nullifying a predictable Partenopei outfit. I've been Simon Harrison and I hope to see you again next time!
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