November 04, (THEWILL) – Napoli climbed into Serie A’s top four after a deserved 2-0 away victory against bottom club Salernitana on Saturday.
The reigning champions have endured a stuttering start to their title defence but closed the gap on the leaders with the win. Giacomo Raspadori’s first-half goal and a late strike from Elif Elmas extended Napoli’s unbeaten run to four games in all competitions.
It is a mini resurgence for manager Rudi Garcia’s side after successive defeats last month. Defeat to Napoli saw the hosts slip to an 11th game without a win to set an unwanted record for their longest winless run in Serie A. They remain rock bottom with just four points from 11 games.
Napoli remain without injured star Victor Osimhen but Italy striker Raspadori scored his third goal in as many games to ease the pressure. Raspadori collected Stanislav Lobotka’s pass and rifled in the opener from 10 yards on 13 minutes.
Salernitana had not beaten Napoli since 2002 and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa kept the visitors at bay with smart stops. However, substitute Elmas wrapped up the points for Napoli with a low 15-yard strike eight minutes from time, despite Ochoa getting a hand to it.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
