The 73rd minute strike from Lorenzo Insigne away to Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday night could prove to be a very important one.
Not just for the obvious reasons that it ultimately toppled the dangerous Austrians 3-2 in a thriller and helped the Partenopei to seven points after three games for the first time ever in this competition.
It is also a goal that looks like it may have turned around the at times strained relationship between the forward and Carlo Ancelotti, who benched him for the clash in Salzburg.
There had been rumblings about the pair not seeing eye to eye of late and such speculation was shown have some substance when the Italy international was left out of the starting line-up.
But it was also telling that after Insigne did find the net, the first man he ran to was his coach, who he greeted with a big embrace.
Both men acknowledged after the game that there had been issues between them behind the scenes but a goal and celebration in a key continental clash appear to have fixed that.
“I’ve been calm because I accept the coach’s choices. I’ve had some disagreements with him but that is in the past and it is water under the bridge now,” Insigne admitted.
“I have the highest respect for the coach. I made a mistake, I apologised and we cleared things up.”
For his part, Ancelotti is also keen to draw a line under any issues and is happy to have the 28-year-old impacting games in a big way again, as he expected him to.
“I told Insigne before I brought him on ‘I don’t know how you will do but I believe you will decide this game’ and he did that so we’re very happy,” Ancelotti added.
His winning goal was a vital one in seeing off an Erling Haaland-inspired Salzburg side and giving his side a massive chance of making it into the knockout stages.
But it could be so much more important than that.
If Ancelotti and one of his most naturally-gifted and decisive players are now on the same wavelength once more, it bodes very well for this side going forward.
