SSC Napoli coasted to a 4-1 victory over visiting Liverpool FC, as Piotr Zielinski scored a brace and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Giovanni Simeone scored their first of the competition.
Napoli shocked Liverpool with three goals in the first half, and it easily could have been five or six. Less than a minute into the match, Victor Osimhen got to Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s long ball before Allison, but hit the outside of the upright.
Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia exploited Liverpool’s high line throughout the half. In the fourth minute, James Milner used his hand to block a Piotr Zielinksi shot after Kvara got behind the Liverpool back line. Zielinski sent Allison the other way to give Napoli the early lead.
The Partenopei should have doubled their lead 15 minutes later when Osimhen got past Virgil van Dijk, who stepped on the Nigerian’s foot in the area. The VAR confirmed the foul, but Osimhen’s poorly struck penalty was stopped by Allison.
Kvaratskhelia had Napoli second opportunity to double the lead after Osimhen dispossessed Joe Gomez in the final third, but van Dijk got back just in time to clear the winger’s shot off the line.
Kvaratskhelia more than compensated for the miss. Just past the half-hour mark he nipped in to win the ball from Gomez and launched another Napoli attack. Anguissa played a clever give-and-go with Zielinski before slotting in his first of the season.
Kvaratskhelia then assisted on Napoli’s third moments before the break. The Georgian fought to win the ball back after failing to dribble past Gomez, then served it up on a platter for Giovanni Simeone to tap in. The Argentinian scored with his first touch of the match, after replacing an injured Osimhen a few minutes prior. Simeone kissed his Champions League tattoo after fulfilling his boyhood dream of scoring in the competition.
The second half started the same way the first half ended. Zielinski scored his second of the match 90 seconds into the second half, earning himself man of the match honours. Anguissa picked out Simeone’s run on the right wing. The Pole’s first effort was stopped but he chipped the rebound over Allison to give Napoli a four goal lead.
Luiz Diaz, who was Liverpool’s brightest player on the night, scored a consolation goal minutes later, but the Red’s were unable to mount a comeback. Napoli managed both the squad and the clock for the balance of the match, which finished 4-1 in favour of the home side.
The Partneopei will be back in action on Saturday to take on visiting Spezia Calcio.
