Salzburg make Napoli wait for Champions League last 16 spot

November 06, 2019 | 15:14

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Salzburg prevented Napoli from becoming the first team to qualify for the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday (Nov 5) with a 1-1 draw in Naples.

salzburg make napoli wait for champions league last 16 spot

Salzburg'sErling Braut Haland (left) scores a penalty past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret. (AFP/Alberto PIZZOLI)

Norwegian teenage striker Erling Haaland put the Austrians ahead from the spot after 11 minutes before Mexican Hirving Lozano grabbed an equaliser just before the break with his first goal at the San Paolo Stadium.

Liverpool's win over Genk at Anfield ensures the reigning European champions go top of Group E at the expense of the Italians, with nine points from four games.

Napoli are still well on course to qualify as they are second with eight points, four points ahead of Salzburg, with Belgian side Gent on one point.

Napoli had won 3-2 in Austria and could have qualified for the knockout stages if they had claimed all three points and Genk failed to beat Liverpool.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have been struggling in the league, slipping to seventh in Serie A after taking only two points from their last three games.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had ordered the team to be confined to their training camp this week after last weekend's 2-1 defeat to AS Roma.

But despite dominating for long periods the hosts proved wasteful in front of goal.

A clumsy Kalidou Koulibaly foul on South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chang earned the visitors an early penalty with Haaland, 19, slotting in for his seventh European goal this season.

Jose Callejon sent a header wide with Lorenzo Insigne also off target before Lozano finally found the equaliser.

Insigne clipped the bar with a long range effort on 73 minutes, with Fernando Llorente also nodding wide just before the final whistle.

Napoli next travel to Liverpool, who they beat 2-0 in Naples in September, before hosting Genk.

AFP

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