Arkadiusz Milik came off the bench to save SSC Napoli’s blushes yesterday with a late leveler in a 2-2 draw against US Sassuolo at Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia in Italy.
Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri’s men traveled to Reggio Emilia trailing second-placed AS Roma by two points in the battle for automatic entry to next season’s Champions League.
However, having failed to find the net in a messy first half, Napoli hit the woodwork twice on their way to an eighth draw of the campaign that leaves them third, nine points behind leaders Juventus and one off Roma.
Photo: AFP
Juventus, bidding for a record sixth-consecutive Serie A win, host Genoa today, while Roma are at Pescara’s Stadio Adriatico tomorrow.
Belgium midfielder Dries Mertens, who has played as a striker during Milik’s injury absence, broke the deadlock seven minutes after the restart with a rare header that gave him his 22nd league goal of the season.
Sassuolo pulled level seven minutes later largely thanks to Napoli captain Marek Hamsik. His mistimed header back to goalkeeper Pepe Reina was intercepted by Domenico Berardi, who scored in the 59th minute.
Photo: AFP
Napoli should have pulled in front again on 65 minutes, but a Mertens free-kick rattled off Andrea Consigli’s crossbar.
Minutes later, Consigli was quick to collect the ball after Lorenzo Insigne’s curler bounced off the inside of the far post.
After those reprieves, Sassuolo poured forward sensing an upset and were almost rewarded 10 minutes from the end when Reina could only parry Paolo Cannavaro’s flick-on from a free-kick on the right.
However, moments later, second-half substitute Luca Mazzitelli pounced on Berardi’s overhead kick to beat the Spanish keeper down low with his maiden Italian Serie A goal.
It prompted Sarri to replace Brazilian midfielder Jorginho with Milik, who with practically his first touch of the ball had Napoli back on level terms when he controlled Kalidou Koulibaly’s nod-down at a corner to sweep past Consigli.
It was the Pole’s fifth league goal of the campaign and first since September last year, having been sidelined for the best part of six months after rupturing his anterior cruciate knee ligament in October.
Napoli regained the momentum, but Mertens’s drive curled over and Pol Lirola blocked a late Insigne effort.
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