Rasmus Hojlund has voiced his anger after a goal for Napoli was disallowed during Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Hellas Verona. The Manchester United loanee thought he had scored on the stretch, but replays showed the ball appeared to strike his arm in the build-up, leading referee Simone Sozza to rule it out.
Taking to Instagram, Hojlund shared footage of the incident and wrote: "Didn't even touch the ball with the hand. Well, we go again on Sunday. Forza Napoli sempre," followed by a blue heart and praying emojis. The 22-year-old was unable to add to his tally of six Serie A goals this season, though he has also provided two assists in 14 appearances.
Napoli head coach Antonio Conte also expressed frustration after the match, saying: "Hojlund's goal was disallowed because I don't know where he should have had that arm. We have to accept them and we accept them." According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, both referee Sozza and the VAR officials have been suspended, even though their decisions were described as 'deemed correct.'
Napoli trailed 2-0 at home before Scott McTominay pulled one back, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo rescuing a point in the 82nd minute. McTominay's goal ended a nine-game drought in Serie A since his arrival in 2024, and he was named Man of the Match.
Conte admitted his side were below par in the first half but praised their fightback. "In the first half there were two negative episodes for us, we could have done better," he said. "These two episodes could kill anyone. In the second half we were good at putting our heads on our shoulders. We had the strength to score two goals, and that's what counts."
Hojlund joined Napoli on loan with a €50million (£43.6m) option to make the move permanent, which becomes an obligation if the club qualify for the Champions League this season. All indications suggest he is likely to stay in Naples regardless.
