Late goal from Rrahmani rescues Napoli against lowly Salernitana
Reports have suggested Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is still trying to convince Antonio Conte to take over the club, and the volume of those calls would have been enhanced when the hosts went behind just before the half-hour mark.
Veteran Antonio Candreva whipped in a beautiful effort from distance for his fifth SA goal of the season, and fifth goal contribution in his last six league games. Overall, it was the only flash of brilliance in an otherwise-turgid first half.
Napoli’s attempts to get back into the match were flying high and wide, as a fifth Azzurri blank in a row looked increasingly likely.
However, the hosts were handed a lifeline when the referee pointed to the spot in first-half added time after a VAR check, allowing Matteo Politano to stroke home the penalty for his sixth strike in all competitions to level proceedings before HT.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has looked a shadow of himself in recent matches having now gone five in all competitions without scoring, wasted Napoli’s best chance to turn the game on its head in the second half, as he fired wide from a promising position.
Both teams showed a severe lack of quality, but the reigning champions found a way to win deep into stoppage time.
Amir Rrahmani could not believe his luck when the ball rebounded to him in the box, and he fired home his first goal of the season to give Napoli a vital victory in their hopes of climbing up to the UEFA Champions League places.
The win sees them move up three places to sixth in the table, while Salernitana remain rock-bottom after consecutive 2-1 defeats after going in front, which will no doubt frustrate Filippo Inzaghi.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Amir Rrahmani (Napoli)
