Empoli beat Salernitana in 6-goal thriller

Milan, Oct 23, 2021 (AFP) - Empoli held off battling Salernitana to win an exciting Serie A contest 4-2 on Saturday after racing to a four-goal lead at half-time.

Strikes from Andrea Pinamonti, Patrick Cutrone and a Stefan Strandberg own goal put the away side three ahead in under a quarter of an hour, and the match looked dead and buried once Pinamonti scored his second from the penalty spot seconds from the break.

However bottom side Salernitana, playing their first match under new coach Stefano Colantuono, reacted after the restart and halved the deficit in the 55th minute when, after Luca Ranieri netted his first Serie A goal, Ardian Ismajli put in his own net.

However Tuscan outfit Empoli rode their luck, with Guglielmo Vicario clawing out Milan Djuric's header from under the bar in the closing minutes, and held on for a win which moves them up to 10th on 12 points.