Verona ended their hunt for a first Serie A win of the season when they beat Atalanta 2-1 earlier this month and last week's defeat to Lazio had ended a comparatively encouraging run of four consecutive draws.

Yet, sitting bottom of the table and seven points adrift of fourth-from-bottom Sampdoria ahead of their away game at Inter Milan, Luigi Delneri's men still face an anxious run-in to the end of the season.

It was only the eighth Verona Derby in history and veteran striker Luca Toni broke the deadlock on the half-hour when he beat Albano Bizzarri at the second attempt, after he had been fouled by Nicolas Spolli in the area.

Chievo keeper Bizzarri did well to stop Toni's right-footed penalty, but the towering striker was quickly to the rebound which he slotted into the back of the net with his left boot.

Verona doubled their lead just before the hour, after Giampaolo Pazzini finished off a neat passing move by wrong-footing Bizzarri with a strike that took a deflection off Chievo right-back Fabrizio Cacciatore.

Chievo were given a chance to battle for a share of the spoils halfway through the second period when Evangelos Moras saw a second yellow card for a foul on Roberto Inglese in the area.

Sergio Pellissier had no problem sending Pierluigi Gollini the wrong way from the spot to pull one back on 71 minutes.

But Verona, despite being a man down, refused to sit on their lead.

The hosts spurned the chance to add to their lead when Pazzini escaped down the right, but with Toni to his left screaming for service, the Italian spooned an attempted lob well wide of the target.

Antonio Floro Flores, signed by Chievo last month from Sassuolo, replaced Pellissier minutes later in a bid to give the visitors fresh attacking options.

But those hopes were hit when Spolli was given his marching orders for a needless foul on former AC Milan midfielder Urby Emanuelson 11 minutes from time.

Italian Floro Flores won a free kick just outside Verona's area moments later but fired well over.

To their credit, Verona kept pushing for a third goal and almost succeeded five minutes from time when Bizzarri produced a great reflex save to block Ionita's header from an Emanuelson corner.

Moldovan midfielder Ionita finally came good in the fifth minute of injury-time when he curled a great strike past Bizzarri and into the top left-hand corner from outside the area.

A. Ioniţă

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