February 22, (THEWILL) – Napoli took a decisive step towards the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in their Round of 16 first-leg clash.
Victor Osimhen opened the scoring for the visitors after a well-worked move involving Stanislav Lobotka and Chucky Lozano. Napoli’s dominance continued in the second half, with Eintracht reduced to 10 men after Randal Kolo Muani was sent off for a late challenge on Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa. Giovanni Di Lorenzo then sealed the win with a clinical finish, assisted by Kvicha Kvaratskhelia’s back-heel flick.
Despite missing Giacomo Raspadori, Napoli were in control for much of the game and could have won by a greater margin if not for Kevin Trapp’s heroics in the Eintracht goal. The keeper even stopped Kvaratskhelia’s penalty in the first half. The hosts struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Lindstrom’s cross-shot the closest they came to scoring.
Napoli, however, were wasteful in front of goal, with Lozano and Osimhen guilty of missing good opportunities. Still, the 2-0 result leaves Napoli in a strong position ahead of the second leg at home, while Eintracht face an uphill battle to progress.
Both teams will now turn their attention to domestic duties, with Napoli travelling to Empoli in Serie A on Saturday and Eintracht facing RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
