Napoli defeated Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to make it five wins from five Champions League games this year.
After winning the rematch between the two teams 4-1 last month, Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli leads Group A by three points over second-placed Liverpool. This puts them in a commanding position to clinch first before their trip to Anfield on November 1.
In the section’s other game, Liverpool defeated Ajax 3-0 in Amsterdam to extend the race for first to the final matchday. Despite dropping all five of their matches this season, Rangers is still in with a chance to finish third and earn a spot in the Europa League.
In the eleventh minute of the game, Giovanni Simeone collected Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s exquisite low cross and fired past Allan McGregor, the goalkeeper for the opposing team.
Four minutes later, Simeone scored twice quickly to give Rangers a two-goal deficit. The forward headed a cross from Mario Rui into the goal.
As the home team dominated the game, it only seemed a matter of time before the Serie A leaders would score a third goal when Tanguy Ndombele rattled the crossbar in the 22nd minute.
When Matteo Politano’s deft cross found Giacomo Raspadori in the 39th minute, Napoli had their best opportunity to score a third goal in the opening frame, but Raspadori’s header was straight at McGregor.
The Colombian then put Alex Meret to the test down the other end with a low drive, and that proved to be the final significant play of the first half of play.
Early in the second half, Rui blocked a powerful volley from Morelos, and McGregor made a cunning save with his leg to deny Simeone the chance to complete his hat trick.
Finally, Napoli scored their third goal in the 80th minute when Raspadori set up Leo Skiri Ostigard to score from inside the box and end a difficult night for Rangers.
With five straight victories and a game-average of four goals, unbeatable Napoli continues to advance in the Champions League. The Partenopei, despite only occasionally being at their brilliant best, managed to hold off a tame Rangers challenge, setting a club record with their 12th straight victory. The Serie A leaders will be a team to be feared in the knockout stages thanks to Simeone’s first-half double that helped them sprint into what ultimately proved to be an unassailable lead. Rangers are still in the bottom half after giving up 19 goals.
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