Napoli put one foot into the Champions League quarter-finals after strolling to a crucial 2-0 first-leg win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night. Runaway Serie A champions dominated proceedings through and through to get on the cusp of a historic achievement.
After a stuttering start in the opening ten minutes of play, Luciano Spalletti rallied his troops. Napoli gained a foothold in the game and began showing glimpses of their outstanding domestic form. However, clear-cut chances were hard to come by early on.
High press and lightning-fast transition asserted the Partenopei as a dominant force in the remainder of the first half. Despite being pushed deep into their own territory, Frankfurt did well to fend off the Italians’ relentless effort to open the scoring.
But it was only a matter of time before Napoli would come knocking on Kevin Trapp’s door. Mexican forward Hirving Lozano was the first visiting player to find the gap between the lines, picking up a lofted through ball inside the Germans’ box to break one-on-one with Trapp. Unfortunately, his thunderous low effort rattled off the woodwork.
Napoli had an even better opportunity in the follow-up. Victor Osimhen latched onto a loose ball before Frankfurt defender Buta tackled him to the ground inside the penalty area. Referee Artur Soares Dias had no doubts, pointing to the spot immediately, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia stepping up to the plate.
Yet the sought-after Georgian winger failed to add to his two-goal Champions League tally as Trapp pulled off a stunning save to deny his attempt. It turned out that the experienced goalkeeper only postponed the inevitable. His heroics went in vain only moments later as Napoli broke the deadlock in the 40th minute.
Lozano escaped his marker once again before whipping a delightful low cross from the edge of the box straight into Osimhen’s stride, with the Nigerian stabbing home from point-blank to put Napoli in front. Less than a minute later, he doubled his account, only to see his second of the night disallowed for offside.
Spalletti’s men headed into halftime on the front foot but with plenty to be desired in the second half. Unlike the first period, Napoli flew out of the traps after the break, mounting continuous pressure on Frankfurt in pursuit of an all-important second goal.
It wasn’t the night of Kvaratskhelia, who, after spurning a spot-kick in the first half, wasted another glorious opportunity in the 56th minute to put clear daylight between the sides. But Randal Kolo Muani’s reckless challenge on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, resulting in a straight red card, gave Napoli a massive helping hand on the stroke of the hour mark.
Napoli wasted no time capitalizing on a numerical advantage as Kvaratskhelia laid off a superb backheel to set up Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s rare European goal. The Partenopei captain took it first time from the edge of the penalty area with his weaker left foot, slotting the ball into the bottom far corner to sink Frankfurt’s hopes of getting back into the game.
Although Napoli took their foot off the gas in the remaining 30 minutes or so, they still had a few decent chances to put this tie to bed with a game to spare. Despite failing to score the third, the Italians can be proud of their tonight’s performances as they’re now in a prime position to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history.
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