With their stunning 4-1 victory over Liverpool on Wednesday, Napoli continued their impressive run through the Champions League after the Reds’ rocky start to the year.
At the Stadio Maradona, Napoli swept Liverpool aside with a frenzied first-half performance, and they deservedly led by three goals at the break.
In the fifth minute, Piotr Zielinski opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and two more skillfully executed goals from Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone, making his Champions League debut, left Jurgen Klopp’s team facing a humiliating loss.
After the break, Zielinski added the fourth almost immediately to give Napoli the perfect start in Group A.
After a two-season absence, Luciano Spalletti’s team is back in Europe’s top competition and is currently in second place, level with Ajax, who defeated Rangers 4-0 and put together their own demolition job.
Napoli built on a strong start to its domestic campaign, placing second in Serie A after five games, and will be buoyed by strong showings from newcomers, especially explosive winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. With his exciting wing play and eye for goal, the young Georgian has already won over Napoli supporters. Despite playing for less than an hour, he made a significant impact.
With less than a minute remaining, Napoli easily could have taken the lead thanks to a typically boisterous crowd that supported them.
Victor Osimhen, who is always active, sprinted after a long ball from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and managed to get it past the charging Alisson Becker, but he took the ball too wide and chose to shoot off the near post rather than try to set up his advancing teammates.
Soon after, Milner handled Zielinski’s low shot and permitted the Pole to score the game’s first goal, giving Napoli a well-deserved lead.
Refree’s on-field review of Virgil van Dijk’s clumsy challenge on the Nigerian resulted in another penalty, which Napoli would have earned had Osimhen followed Zielinski’s example. Instead, he wasted his opportunity from the spot with a fancy run-up.
However, Liverpool’s defense was a complete mess. They were frequently caught off guard by passes over the top and confused by Kvaratskhelia, whose shot was blocked in the 28th minute after Osimhen stole the ball from Joe Gomez.
Zambo Anguissa gave the hosts a lead that more accurately reflected the flow of play three minutes later. The international from Cameroon completed a straightforward one-two with Zielinski to find himself alone with Alisson before rolling in the second goal, which caused Liverpool to crumble.
Simeone broke down in tears after scoring third goal just seconds after replacing the injured Osimhen. The unstoppable Kvaratskhelia continued to wreak havoc on the left flank before Simeone finished the half with a tap-in goal.
A minute after the break, Simeone switched roles and found Zielinski, ensuring that the hosts had a memorable night. His initial shot was stopped by Alisson, and his subsequent finish was unstoppable. Two minutes later, Luis Diaz scored a consolation goal, but that was all the Reds could muster as Napoli sealed a memorable victory.
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