For the third consecutive match, Napoli dropped points after conceding a goal in the final five minutes of the match. With only two rounds remaining, the Azzurrini are guaranteed to play in the Primavera 1 relegation playoff.
Lineup
Nicolò Frustalupi made two changes to the squad he fielded in the loss to Juventus. Valerio Boffelli returned to the starting lineup, replacing Claudio Mauri in goal. Meanwhile, Benedetto Barba started over Daniel Hysaj in the back three.
(3-4-2-1) Boffelli; D’Avino, Barba, Obaretin; Acampa, Gioielli, Iaccarino, Gningue; Sahli, Spavone; Rossi
Match
Fiorentina immediately went onto the front foot, creating their first chance in the third minute. Lorenzo Amatucci was fouled on the Fiorentina left wing, earning a free kick in a dangerous area. Amatucci took the free kick himself, swinging the ball into the area. Francesco Presta won the header in front of the Napoli goal, but the Fiorentina striker got under the ball and it finished over the bar.
The opening half hour was competitive, but with both sides committing fouls, neither side created many chances. Luigi D’Avino had his best match in a Napoli shirt, limiting Fiorentina’s ability to create chances.
Napoli created their first chance at the half-hour mark, after Alessandro Spavone won the ball back in the Fiorentina third. Gennaro Iaccarino dribbled through three Fiorentina players before being blocked off the ball. However, Spavone retrieved the loose ball, turned and fired towards the goal. Though the ball was well-struck, Fiorentina goalkeeper Laerte Tognetti was well-positioned to make the save.
Napoli created the second chance from a corner kick moments later. Iaccarino took the corner short to Spavone at the right corner of the area. The Napoli trequartista struck the ball first-time and would have hit the target had Michael Kayode not gotten in the way.
After an uneventful first half, Fiorentina had the best chance of the match five minutes into the second half. Fallou Sene shouldered Nosa Obaretin off the ball in the centre of the midfield and Jonas Harder immediately broke the other way. He played a perfectly-weighted through-ball to Presti in the area but Valerio Boffelli was quick off his line to make the save.
The Azzurrini responded with their best chance at the hour mark. Francesco Gioielli played a diagonal ball to Bilel Sahli on the left side of the area. The Napoli forward cut in onto his right foot and curled a shot on target. The shot had plenty of venom but caught too much of the goal, allowing Tognetti to push it aside.
The back and forth continued with Fiorentina coming close a minute later. Tognetti played a long goal kick, which Sene flicked on at midfield. Presta touched the ball on to Tommaso Berti, who momentarily lost the ball after a slide tackle from Benedetto Barba. Berto quickly recovered the ball before playing it to Sene in the area. The Fiorentina striker ran onto the ball and hit it first-time, striking the outside of the upright.
With the chances alternating, Napoli came close again in the 72nd minute, after Gioielli dispossessed Ciro Capasso at midfield. The Napoli centrocampista played Sahli on the overlap. The Tunisian made a gorgeous dribble to get past Amatucci, who was caught flat-footed. Sahli carries towards the edge of the Fiorentina area before passing to Leonardo Rossi to his left. The striker cut in to create space between himself and central defender Pietro Comuzzo, but his tiragiro was well-stopped by Tognetti.
Meanwhile, Sene was Fiorentina’s most dangerous player, creating another chance ten minutes later. The striker received the long ball on the right wing before running at Davide Acampa in the area. Sene cut to his right before striking the ball well, but the curling effort finished narrowly over the bar.
A minute later, Kayode made a long, marauding run forward before passing to Capasso on the right wing. He dribbled towards the by line, past Enrico Giannini, before cutting the ball back in front of the goal. Substitute Eljon Toci slid to win the ball ahead of Lamine Gningue but the shot curled wide of the far post.
For the third consecutive match, it looked like Napoli might salvage a decent result and for the third consecutive match the Azzurrini conceded in the final five minutes. Substitute Costantino Favasuli played the ball back to Harder, who fired a screamer from outside the area into the top corner.
With the loss, Napoli are mathematically guaranteed to play in the relegation playoff.
