Serie A | Torino 3-0 Napoli: Mazzocchi disaster debut

Napoli started 2024 in the worst possible way with a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Torino, as Pasquale Mazzocchi saw red under five minutes into his debut.

The Partenopei ended 2023 on a bad note with one point from two games and a Coppa Italia exit to Frosinone. Victor Osimhen and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa were at the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Alex Meret, Natan, Leo Ostigard and Matias Olivera injured, with coach Walter Mazzarri suspended. Toro only missed Perr Schuurs, as Nikola Vlasic shook off a knock.

Pierluigi Gollini used his chest to parry an early Duvan Zapata strike, then Vlasic ballooned the Raoul Bellanova assist over from 10 yards after a smart Duvan Zapata dummy.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo reached the by-line on a Piotr Zielinski through ball and pulled it back for Giacomo Raspadori, denied by a Vanja Milinkovic-Savic reaction save.

Raspadori also fired wide of the near post, but Stanislav Lobotka needed a very risky sliding tackle to stop Antonio Sanabria going clear in the box and moments later Mario Rui prevented the Bellanova tap-in on Duvan Zapata’s cross at the back stick.

Zielinski insisted on moving the ball to his stronger foot, failing to make the most of an inspired Raspadori back-heel assist.

Torino took the lead just before half-time when the Ivan Ilic free kick was flicked on by Duvan Zapata for Antonio Sanabria, who reacted quicker than the Napoli defenders to fire in from 10 yards.

Pasquale Mazzocchi completed his transfer from Salernitana only 24 hours ago, but was given his Napoli debut in the second half and immediately tried to find Raspadori at the back post.

However, barely four minutes into his first appearance for the club, Mazzocchi was shown a straight red card for his ridiculous lunge on Valentin Lazaro. At first it was only a yellow card, but the red became inevitable after VAR showed the foot landed above the knee.

Moments later, Toro took full advantage, as Vlasic was allowed time and space on the edge of the area to take a touch, look up and drill into the far bottom corner.

It was so nearly 3-0 when Sanabria came sliding in at the back post to thump the upright, it came back to Duvan Zapata who was denied by a combination of Gollini’s reaction save and the woodwork. There was only a brief delay, as on the resulting corner Alessandro Buongiorno comfortably out-jumped Juan Jesus to nod into the top corner.

The Napoli fans who had made the long journey to Turin vented their frustration by throwing flares and fireworks onto the pitch, causing play to be halted for a couple of minutes.

The Partenopei still created chances, Giovanni Simeone firing wide after Milinkovic-Savic denied Amir Rrahmani from close range.

Torino 3-0 Napoli

Sanabria 43 (T), Vlasic 52 (T), Buongiorno 66 (T)

Sent off: Mazzocchi 50 (N)