Napoli took another huge step towards Champions League qualification with a hard-fought 2-0 win away at Fiorentina.
The first half remained goalless, but a dramatic VAR decision awarded Napoli a penalty which Player of the Match Lorenzo Insigne converted. Shortly afterwards, Piotr Zielinski’s deflected shot wrong-footed the goalkeeper and secured three vital points for the Azzuri.
Despite Napoli pressure, it was Fiorentina who scored first, only for it to be disallowed. It seemed Vlahovic had continued his remarkable scoring form with a fine header into the top corner, but replays showed he had strayed offside.
Shortly after the restart, a very lengthy VAR review for a Nikola Milenkovic pull on Amir Rrahmani led to a penalty. Insigne stepped up and saw his spot-kick saved, but he quickly tucked the rebound away and gave his team a crucial lead.
In amongst the arguments which saw Gennaro Gattuso calling for a second yellow for Milenkovic, Fiorentina’s substitute goalkeeper, Bartolmej Dragowski, was sent off.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Napoli made the most of their attacking domination by adding a second. A sweeping move involving Victor Osimhen and Insigne led to a shot from Zielinski that was deflected off of Lorenzo Venuti into the bottom corner. The goal was later credited as an own goal for Venuti.
The win takes Napoli up to third place, one point ahead of Milan and Juventus. The Rossoneri have a game in hand against Cagliari on Sunday night.
For Fiorentina, their season is already over but the defeat likely rules out the chance of sneaking a top-half finish.
