Senegal forward Boulaye Dia scored a late goal to ensure Salernitana hold runaway Serie A leaders Napoli to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday.
The 26-year-old beat Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen on the right wing before sending a left-footed curler past goalkeeper Alex Meret and into the far post.
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Boulaye Dia denies Napoli their title celebrations with a superb solo strike after Mathías Olivera opened the scoring earlier – MD33 just got HOT ????#NapoliSalernitana pic.twitter.com/xfj8c3hwYk
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 30, 2023
Dia’s strike put the Partenopei’s title party on hold on matchday 33, as the league leaders would have been confirmed champions with a win following Lazio’s 3-1 away loss to Inter Milan hours before.
With Napoli keeping all the possession early on in the game, Osimhen came closest to opening the scoring, but his glancing header from a free-kick was well saved by Guillermo Ochoa.
The second half began in the same fashion, with the home team dictating play. However, it took them about 17 minutes after the restart to open the scoring.
Uruguayan defender Mathias Olivera sent the raucous Napoli crowd into a frenzy with his header in the 62nd minute to put Napoli ahead.
With time ticking away and the Naples faithful getting ready for a party, Dia’s equaliser two minutes from regulation time silenced the crowd.
The strike was his 12th goal of the season, placing him level with Marco Di Vaio in the 1998/99 season for the most goals scored by a Salernitana player in a single Serie A season.
12 – Boulaye Dia has equalled Salernitana's goal-scoring record in a single Serie A season (12), which was previously set by Marco Di Vaio in 1998/99. Wild.#NapoliSalernitana
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) April 30, 2023
Despite the draw, Napoli set a new record for themselves as they have amassed 79 points from 32 games for the first time ever.
They also open an 18-point lead over second-place Lazio and would be crowned champions if they win or draw their next match and the Eagles lose or draw their next game.
Salernitana, on the other hand, remain unbeaten in nine Serie A matches, with two wins and seven draws.
They remain 14th with 34 points and move closer to securing their survival in the competition as they are currently seven points above Hellas Verona in 17th.
