Sampdoria vs. Napoli: Score, Grades and Reaction from Serie A Game

An injury-time goal from Duvan Zapata saw 10-man Napoli steal a point against Sampdoria in a 1-1 draw on Monday evening.

Zapata's 92nd-minute strike, cancelling out Eder's opener midway through the second half, denied Sinisa Mihajlovic's side the chance to leapfrog the Partenopei into third place in the Serie A table; instead, Rafa Benitez's men remain the nearest challengers to Juventus and Roma in the congested battle for the remaining Champions League spot.

That was despite a red card for defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was dismissed with fewer than 10 minutes remaining after bringing down Eder, as the home side looked for a decisive second goal on the counter-attack.

A man and a goal down, Napoli's hopes of avoiding defeat appeared to have gone—until substitute Zapata met a late cross to silence the crowd at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Afterwards, Benitez told reporters (per Football Italia):

"

I think we had two or three clear chances to score in the first half despite not playing particularly well, while in the second half Napoli controlled the game and conceded against the run of play.

Sampdoria pressed us, played a very physical game and it was not easy, but even with 10 men we attacked to score and had more possession.

The first half performance may well be down to Samp, who pressed us all over the park. The game seemed to be under control until the goal, which I think was avoidable.

"

The first half was an open, often entertaining affair, although it was doomed not to produce any goals. Napoli looked the more vulnerable throughout thanks to the presence of Miguel Britos in an unfamiliar full-back role; the natural centre-back constantly exposed by whichever Sampdoria player took him on.

For Benitez, who had decided to play the defensive-minded Faouzi Ghoulam in front of Britos to offer a measure of protection, it created a double problem—Ghoulam was also the man being presented with some of his side's best attacking openings but looked unprepared or unable to make the most of them.

Focusing their attentions on Britos, Sampdoria edged the first 45 minutes. Djamel Mesbah saw his free-kick well saved as Eder, Roberto Soriano and Stefano Okaka all failed to make the most of good openings inside the box.

At the other end, Napoli had Gokhan Inler firing over from outside the box, while Gonzalo Higuain—looking to extend his recent goalscoring streak to six goals in six games—was also struggling to find the target.

Carlo Baroncini/Associated Press

Neither manager made changes at half-time and so the game continued in a similar vein; both sides creating attacking opportunities but neither really looking like they were about to break the deadlock.

Napoli perhaps had the better openings—Ghoulam and Higuain both had efforts saved, while Sergio Romero had to be alert to prevent Callejon sweeping home a low cross—but it was ultimately Sampdoria who would break the deadlock.

It was a moment of quality that did it, as the ever-willing Eder latched on to Matias Silvestre's headed pass before driving a low shot inside Rafael's near post.

"

WHAT A GOAL! The Brazilian Eder, putting Sampdoria ahead at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris against Napoli. http://t.co/LXl5Vzbn4D

— ItalianFootballDaily (@ItalianFD) December 1, 2014"

That goal duly forced Napoli into the changes many had been anticipating, with the stunned Britos removed for Dries Mertens and Jorginho coming on for Gokhan Inler. The hosts also made switches, with Nenad Krsticic replacing Soriano as Mihajlovic looked to plug his own midfield.

Napoli pushed forward, but their poor form in front of goal continued to be their downfall, with Higuain, Mertens and Callejon all squandering good openings. The best chance, however, fell to Jorginho—who knew he should have done much better when he volleyed well over with a first-time effort from barely 12 yards out.

Sampdoria, sitting a bit deeper to protect their lead, also had chances of their own, however, with Eder missing the target with a chance that appeared to be far more inviting than the one he scored from.

With fewer than 10 minutes remaining, Napoli's task was made all the harder as Koulibaly—who had been riding his luck for much of the match—picked up his second yellow card for a foul on Eder. Manolo Gabbiadini, Sampdoria's final substitute, then stung the palms of Rafael as his free-kick threatened to creep inside the near post.

As time ran out, it seemed to be all Sampdoria—Okaka narrowly missing with a drive from the edge of the box—but as injury time arrived, Napoli burst forward and stole a point.

It was Ghoulam, overlapping Mertens down the left, who would prove the architect of the equaliser, the defender swinging in a brilliant whipped cross that Zapata, Benitez's last throw of the dice, expertly turned past the helpless Romero.

For Sampdoria, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but the visitors were elated. The draw means Napoli return to third in the current Serie A table, albeit only on goal difference from Genoa, while yet another draw for Sampdoria—their seventh in 13 games—means they have to be content with staying fifth for now.

"The team is unbeaten in 10 games, so in the circumstances I’d call that positive," Benitez concluded. “We knew from the start this could be a difficult season. We know our strengths and where we have to improve.

"I am optimistic for the future, but the team has to look at individual objectives in every game and not look forward to other fixtures or the table.”

Carlo Baroncini/Associated Press

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Sergio Romero	7
Lorenzo De Silvestri	7
Matias Silvestre	7
Alessio Romagnoli	7
Djamel Mesbah	7
Pedro Obiang	6
Angelo Palombo	7
Roberto Soriano	7
Luca Rizzo	6
Stefano Okaka	7
Eder	8
Substitutions
Nenad Krsticic	7
Manolo Gabbiadini	7

Player	Rating
Rafael	7
Miguel Britos	5
Kalidou Koulibaly	6
Raul Albiol	7
Christian Maggio	7
Gokhan Inler	6
Marek Hamsik	7
Jose Callejon	7
David Lopez	6
Faouzi Ghoulam	7
Gonzalo Higuain	6
Substitutions
Dries Mertens	7
Jorginho	7
Duvan Zapata	7

What's Next?

Napoli host Empoli on Sunday morning, while Sampdoria are scheduled to visit Hellas Verona the following Monday evening.