Serie A Wrap: Napoli, Fiorentina edge thrillers

Fiorentina moved level on points with fourth-placed Inter thanks to an enthralling 4-3 win over Hellas Verona in Serie A on Monday.

Verona could have overtaken Vincenzo Montella’s men with victory at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, with Fiorentina having been beaten 1-0 by Udinese in their last Serie A outing.

While Borja Valero put the hosts ahead just six minutes in, they were soon behind as goals from Romulo and Juan Manuel Iturbe put Verona on top after 13 minutes.

Valero restored parity, completing his first brace in a league outing since March 2008 when he bagged a double for Mallorca, before Juan Vargas added the fifth and final goal of the first half two minutes before the break.

Verona went down to 10 men just eight minutes into the second half when Bosko Jankovic was shown a red card for handball in the area, with Giuseppe Rossi converting the resulting penalty to compound the visitors’ misery.

Jorginho kept Verona in the game when he pulled one back 18 minutes from time, but it was too little too late as Montella’s side moved five points clear of their opponents in the table.

The goals did not stop there in Serie A, though, as Napoli recorded their first league win in three matches with a 4-2 success against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico later on Monday.

Gonzalo Higuain gave Napoli the lead after 24 minutes with a delightful solo effort, which saw him turn well in a central position before driving forward and nudging the ball past an onrushing Federico Marchetti.

However, Napoli’s lead lasted just over a minute, as Valon Behrami prodded a loose ball into his own net from close range.

The sides went in level at the break, but former Lazio man Goran Pandev put the visitors ahead five minutes after the interval as he turned and fired home in the six-yard box before Higuain completed his brace.

Keita Balde Diao pulled a goal back for Lazio, but Jose Callejon had the final say as Rafael Benitez’s men recorded a much-needed win that puts them back within three points of second-placed Roma.