Napoli edge Fiorentina as injuries problems mount
NAPLES, Italy, Jan 31 : Napoli secured a 2-1 home win over struggling Fiorentina on Saturday as the Serie A champions suffered another injury problem when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was forced to leave the field.
Antonio Conte’s side are third on 46 points, six behind leaders Inter Milan who visit Cremonese on Sunday. Fiorentina are 18th.
It took just 11 minutes for Antonio Vergara to break the deadlock, racing clear of the Fiorentina defence before calmly slotting a low finish into the corner from the edge of the box.
Rasmus Hojlund almost doubled Napoli’s lead after a scramble led to the Dane trying to back-heel the ball into the net, only for a frantic clearance to deny him.
Fiorentina came close to equalising when Roberto Piccoli rattled the upright with a header before Albert Gudmundsson's point-blank follow-up was saved by goalkeeper Alex Meret.
Conte looked on anxiously as Di Lorenzo went down clutching his knee after the chance, and the defender was carried off on a stretcher.
Miguel Gutierrez doubled Napoli’s lead four minutes after the restart with a curling shot from an acute angle.
Fiorentina pulled one back after 57 minutes when Dodo threaded a through ball to Piccoli, who tried to trick Meret, only for the keeper to get a vital touch, but the ball spilled loose and Manor Solomon pounced.
Napoli's injury list includes Kevin De Bruyne, David Neres, Billy Gilmour, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano.
(Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editing by Ed Osmond)
