Napoli, dictator of Serie A, where they rule with 15 rental points, exhibited their power in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 with a solvent away win against Eintracht Frankfurt (0-2). With goals from Osimhen and Di Lorenzo, the Italians put the Italians on track to reach the quarterfinals of the top European competition, a round they have never reached in their history.
The duel began locked, with the two teams lost in a guerrilla war in the core. Only Kolo Muani, with a shot that was too crossed, and Kvaratskhelia, with a bitten shot from the edge, managed to disturb the goalkeepers in the initial stretch. The ball was lost between fouls and aimless passes that failed to exceed three quarters of the field.
The inaccuracies ended with the Neapolitans after half an hour, when Lozano shot at the post and Buta, in his attempt to clear the ball, committed a clear penalty on Osimhen. Trapp stopped the shot from eleven meters to Kvaratskhelia, the sensation of Italian football.
The euphoria of the reigning Europa League champion lasted four minutes, the time it took for a tense Lozano cross to hit Osimhen's net. Spalletti's men continued to persist after the restart. Napoli definitely took over the game. The advanced pressure and the numerous forces with which they searched for the rival area made the Germans falter, who began to feel the pressure of the Champions League, a tournament that they are playing for the second time this season after 62 years of absence.
Trapp made Kvaratskhelia sour again in the hand, but the Georgian magician later made up for it with his umpteenth genius this season. At game time, Kolo Muani finished clearing the way for the visitors with a stomp on Anguissa's ankle that earned him a red card. Napoli took advantage of the situation to score the second goal in a play where Kvaratskhelia gave up the ball from his heel and captain Di Lorenzo scored with a low shot.
The occasions of the Italians followed one another. Anguissa, with a shot from the ground, and Simeone were able to score the third. The Neapolitans, who slowed down in the last minutes, were able to thrash an ineffective German team that only tested Meret in the 82nd minute with a shy shot from Kamada inside the box. Eintracht will miraculously arrive at the Diego Maradona stadium, where Napoli have only conceded two draws this season.
Accessories: Trapp; Night, Jakic, Ndicka; Butter (Knauff, 69), Comrade, Horse, Max (Lenz, 90); Lindström (Borré, 69), Götze (Alidou, 81); Colonel Muani.
Naples: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Brahmani, MJ Kim, Olivera; Forest Anguish (North, 80), Lobotka, Zielinski; Lausanne (Elmas, 80), Osimhen (Simeone, 84), Kvaratskhelia (Politano, 84).
Goles: 0-1 (min 40, Osimhen), 0-2 (min 65, Di Lorenzo)
Referee: Arthur Soares Days. Admonished M.J Kim, Götze, Elmas and sent off Kolo-Muani with a straight red for a foul against Anguissa.
Incidents: first leg of the round of 16 of the soccer Champions League played at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt.
