The hosts scored more goals in their 3-3 draw with Lazio last time out than in the rest of the season combined, and they could not have gone closer to continuing that purple patch when Nikola Vlasic struck the inside of the post from outside the area.
At the other end, Franco Israel had to make a quick recovery after initially spilling a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick, before the Belgian saw a curling strike deflected wide after Giovanni Simeone volleyed a good chance over for the hosts.
However, just after the half-hour mark, Simeone ensured the Torino fans were celebrating a home goal for the first time this campaign when he latched onto a loose ball, kept his cool to avoid the backtracking defenders and rounded Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Having waited so long for one, Il Toro could have had a second just three minutes later had the Napoli shot-stopper, on loan from Torino, not managed to put off Marcus Holmgren Pedersen and thwart a counter-attack. Napoli dominated as half-time approached, but a Lorenzo Lucca shot, which was easily blocked by Israel, was the best they could create.
The home side’s goal was under constant pressure as the match entered the final 15 minutes, but De Bruyne and Matteo Politano were frustrated by dogged defending, and when Eljif Elmas blasted the ball over from an ideal position, it looked like it would be Torino’s day.
In the third minute of added time, a Politano effort hit the post, struck the back of Israel and deflected to Noa Lang, who tapped home what seemed to be a dramatic equaliser, only for VAR to rule it out for offside. It’s the first time since early 2024 that Napoli have lost three consecutive away matches, the last of which was Torino’s only other H2H win since 2015.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Giovanni Simeone (Torino)