Salernitana relegated after defeat to fellow strugglers Frosinone
The hosts came into the game looking to lift themselves out of the relegation zone after a run of four consecutive draws boosted their hopes of survival.
And the Ciociari could hardly have asked for a better opportunity to end their 12-match winless run than against a Salernitana side still two points adrift of the Italian top flight’s lowest-ever total - Chievo’s 17 during the 2018/19 season.
In the end, Frosinone were gifted a fantastic chance to take the lead after just 10 minutes, with Junior Sambia penalised for pulling Emanuele Valeri’s shirt in the penalty area. Matias Soule stepped up for the subsequent spot-kick, and he expertly dispatched it into the bottom-left corner.
The Granata had been trailing by at least two goals at half-time in each of their last four away defeats, and that trend continued as Frosinone doubled their advantage inside 25 minutes.
Valeri played an inch-perfect pass to Marco Brescianini, who kept his cool before shooting across the goalkeeper and burying with aplomb.
In the second period’s opening stages, Salernitana enjoyed plenty of possession but struggled to break down the resolute Frosinone defence.
Still, Stefano Colantuono’s men continued to probe and very nearly found a way back into the encounter with 15 minutes remaining. Lassana Coulibaly picked out Iron Gomis with a cross, but the Frenchman drilled his shot wide of the left post.
Ultimately, Salernitana’s possessional dominance in the second half led to nothing, and salt was rubbed into Eusebio Di Francesco’s side’s wounds with five minutes remaining when Nadir Zortea drove towards the edge of the box and fired a strike beyond Stefano Turati’s grasp.
The victory lifts Frosinone up to 17th and three points ahead of Udinese ahead of the Bianconeri’s trip to Bologna on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Salernitana now know they will be playing in the second tier next term after just two league wins so far this term, and will need to regroup as they look to bounce back immediately and rejoin the elite.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emanuele Valeri (Frosinone)
