Napoli's European hopes hanging by a thread after Fiorentina draw

Updated: May 17, 2024, 05:30 pm

FLORENCE, Italy -- - Last year's Serie A champion Napoli can finish no higher than eighth this season after drawing at Fiorentina 2-2 on Friday.

Napoli sits ninth on the table, two points behind Fiorentina, which has a game in hand. Napoli has one game left.

Napoli won the league 12 months ago for the first time since Diego Maradona wore its distinctive light blue shirt but it has squandered points with regularity this season, drawing 13 times in 37 games. Napoli is winless in its last six games.

Amir Rahmani put Napoli ahead after eight minutes when he nodded home a corner kick.

But Cristiano Braghi with a superb free kick and M'Bala Nzola with a low drive struck back in the five minutes before halftime to send the home side up 2-1 into the break.

Georgian striker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got his 11th goal of the season when he equalized 12 minutes into the second half with a spectacular 30-meter free kick.

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