Inter loanee Andrea Pinamonti reveled in his late brace that ousted Scudetto contenders Napoli at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne thought they had registered a convincing lead but little did the Partenopei expect to undergo a majestic meltdown in the final ten minutes. Lian Henderson halved Napoli’s lead in the 80th minute, before Pinamonti scored a quickfire brace just as the full-time whistle approached.
His two goals meant that Napoli failed to close the gap on his parent club Inter, who are two points behind league leaders Milan with a game in hand.
Speaking to DAZN in his post-match press conference, Pinamonti expressed his joy after handing his side the victory but was impervious to the effect it brings upon the three-way title race.
“I don’t care who I score against, the important thing was to win. You can’t help but be excited after a match like this, a brace and three points that are really worth a lot. There’s no lack of emotion,” he said (via FCInterNews).
When quizzed about his future and whether his match winning contribution is a turning point in his career, the young forward didn’t shy away from affirming that.
He said: “Definitely yes, now I can say it because I’m happy with what I’m doing. I’m happy, I’m calm and things are starting to show themselves on the pitch. But I don’t want to think about anything, I just want to celebrate with my teammates in the locker room”.
The 22-year-old striker to bound to return to Inter in the summer after a one-season loan at Empoli, as his Nerazzurri contract expires only in the summer of 2024.
The Tuscan club have guaranteed themselves safety ahead of the 2022/23 season as they sit in 14th place with 37 points, 12 points ahead of the nearest relegation spot.