Napoli 2-1 Salernitana: Late Rrahmani goal snatches victory for hosts
Amir Rrahmani scored deep into extra time as Napoli rallied from behind to defeat bottom-of-the-table Salernitana 2-1 at home in Serie A on Saturday, relieving pressure on the defending champions.
Napoli moves up to sixth place in the standings with 31 points, while Salernitana remains at the bottom with 12 points.
Napoli had not won in their previous three league games, and fans at the sun-soaked Stadio Diego Armando Maradona expressed their feelings before the game began.
Antonio Candreva scored a stunning goal for Salernitana in the 29th minute, beating Matteo Politano with one touch before curling his shot into the far top corner from well outside the area for his fifth of the season.
It appeared that the visitors would take the lead into halftime, but Napoli were awarded a penalty for a foul on Giovanni Simeone by Federico Fazio, and Politano fired his spot kick into the bottom corner past Guillermo Ochoa.
It was Napoli's first goal since December 16, after going scoreless in their previous four games, including their exit from the Coppa Italia.
Napoli began the second half with a different attitude, and Jens Cajuste had two chances at goal in the first four minutes, the second a shot from outside the area that curled just wide of the far post.
That early promise quickly faded, and Salernitana created plenty of danger, with Napoli goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini saving a cross from Loum Tchaouna with Simeon Nwankwo waiting to pounce in front of the goal.
Napoli poured forward in desperation near the end, with the crowd behind them, and in the 96th minute, a free kick into the box caused keeper Ochoa to collide with a teammate, and when the ball fell to Rrahmani, he turned and fired from close range.
"The ball was coming from behind towards me, it wasn't clean so I stopped and shot, there was nothing to think about," Rrahmani said.
The atmosphere inside the stadium changed from frustration to euphoria, and the outcome, if not the performance, may have taken some pressure off Mazzarri.
Salernitana suffered heartbreak for the second weekend in a row, having lost 2-1 to an added-time goal against Juventus in their previous match.
SportsLigue