Napoli

Goals from Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo gave dominant Napoli a comfortable 2-0 victory at 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in their Champions League ...

Goals from Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo saw Napoli put one foot in the Champions League quarter final as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0.

Kolo Muani barely had the chance to test Alex Meret and was sent off in perhaps harsh circumstances for a follow-through that was, while dangerous, arguably unavoidable. THE BIG LOSER: While one of the most in-form and prolific strikers in European football this season continued to shine, the other - Kolo Muani - endured a night to forget. Their problems doubled after the break when their red-hot scorer Kolo Muani was sent off just before the hour mark for a follow-through on a challenge against Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Goals from Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo sealed a comfortable 2-0 win for Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with ...

Napoli stepped up their dominance after the break with Trapp once again called upon to punch away a Lozano effort as well as another drive from Kvaratskhelia. Overworked home keeper Kevin Trapp saved well to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then pushed aside a 35th-minute penalty from the same player after Osimhen was tripped by Aurelio Buta in the box. A piece of individual brilliance from Kvaratskhelia served up an opportunity for Di Lorenzo to convert as Napoli ensured they would finish the first leg well in control and have one foot in the quarter-finals.

Luciano Spalletti warned Napoli cannot think they have already reached the Champions League quarter-finals despite a dominant victory over Eintracht ...

"Thinking correctly, behaving like this, and wanting to win the match. "We have to, let's see if we stay on track, remain in command. Napoli have never made it to the Champions League last eight but are in control of their last-16 tie ahead of the return meeting in Naples on March 15.

It was not always Napoli's game. Frankfurt started stronger, briefly catching Napoli wrong-footed with Randal Kolo Muani taking an early attempt on goal. It did ...

Inter Milan, in second place, have racked up six losses so far and it would take a truly spectacular collapse from Napoli for the Milan club to any threat whatsoever over the rest of the season. Some potentially tougher challenges follow over the coming weeks, with fifth-place Lazio next week and sixth-place Atalanta the week after. That loss might have been an uncharacteristic from the typically humble Luciano Spalletti, who fielded a far weaker side than normal for the cup tie. That they did it with such ease only goes to underscore that this is a Napoli the likes of which we have never seen before. Calm, confident control once again one the day for Napoli, with the constant pressing of Victor Osimhen, Hirving Lozano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia overpowering the home side. Frankfurt started stronger, briefly catching Napoli wrong-footed with Randal Kolo Muani taking an early attempt on goal.

Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo celebrates his goal against Eintracht Frankfurt. Getty Images. Winning each of their last seven league games, Napoli started this ...

“I think we can do really well this season and perhaps celebrate some of the things we didn’t in previous years.” You never know what will happen in Europe, so we need to be ready for that game.” At the forefront of everything they do is of course Victor Osimhen. “The team played a great game, they told us that perhaps we play some of the best football in Italy because in Italy the football is bad.” he said in his Their domestic form has been so impressive that it has started to make a title victory look almost certain for Luciano Spalletti’s men. “We were a little tense at first, but we brought out our quality and deserved the win,” Di Lorenzo told Sport Mediaset.

Aurelio De Laurentiis is confident Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen will remain at Napoli for a long time, although 'sometimes there are offers you.

Perhaps, UEFA should let European leagues do the work and just be there to do secretary work. “It’s a fool thing. “I am very good at making contracts, so when they come to me, they are blocked, so keeping them here won’t be difficult. “It’s very important for Napeolitans. “I like Lozano, he gets regular playing time and is an excellent player. The thing that I like is that this side goes beyond single players.

Napoli took a significant step towards their first Champions League quarter-final after a 2-0 victory over 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday.

Napoli return to action in Serie A with a Saturday trip to Empoli, while Eintracht travel to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on the same day. Trapp parried away a swerving Lozano attempt after the interval before Kvaratskhelia wasted a glorious chance with a chip straight at the onrushing Eintracht goalkeeper, but matters went from bad to worse for Eintracht soon enough. Victor Osimhen's 40th-minute opener at Deutsche Bank Park set Napoli on their way in the first leg of their last-16 clash after Kevin Trapp saved a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia penalty.

Victor Osimhen scored his 20th goal of the season in Napoli's 2-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions ...

It's a low ball in from Lozano, and the Nigerian striker taps it home to give his side the lead! EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 0-2 NAPOLI: NAPOLI ARE IN DREAMLAND AS DI LORENZO GETS THE SECOND OF THE NIGHT! A great ball in sees Lozano through on goal, and his shot rattles the post. Eintracht didn't put up the biggest fight, certainly after going a man down, but the usual Champions League contenders should certainly fear this Napoli side, who barely had to get out of second gear to register a 2-0 win. Eintracht started the first leg well, with a chance falling to Randal Kolo Muani in the fifth minute. There were instances early on in which Eintracht Frankfurt threatened, but make no mistake, this was a match in which Napoli were on cruise control from start to finish.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini has defended children 'blacking up' as Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, insisting 'where some see racism, I see only wonder.'

“Trust me, it is not celebrating him at all. Now Italy coach Roberto Mancini has responded on Instagram with an image of the children in their Osimhen outfits. It is carnival time in Italy and traditionally the adults and children dress up as their heroes with outfits, masks and wigs.

Pep Guardiola has never disguised his admiration for Italian football and it is revealed the Manchester City boss asked former Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri.

“In fact, Pep uses the same tactic at Manchester City now. He asked for lots of information after the match. [Napoli](/teams/napoli) coach Walter Mazzarri for advice on the three-man defence.

Amid mass interest for star players Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis gave an update on their future.

"I am very good at making contracts, so when they [Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia] come to me, they are blocked, so keeping them here won’t be difficult. Key to that progress have been the duo of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, who have 49 goal contributions between them already this season which has The Neapolitans are flying high at the top of Serie A, 15 points clear after 23 games and in pole position to land their first Scudetto in 33 years.

“It's time we got rid of this cliche about defensive Italian football,” said Napoli head coach Luciano Spalletti after their 2-0 away win to Eintracht ...

Playing 11 against 10, Frankfurt were a player lighter in midfield and this added space allowed Kvaratskhelia to one-two his way through the defence and backheel for Di Lorenzo to find the bottom corner. Napoli’s front three are ahead of the ball, which allows Kim to slide Osimhen through. Napoli had six high turnovers in Frankfurt, their most in a Champions League game this season. The wing-backs dropped deep and the No 10s tucked in, marking Napoli’s central midfielders (yellow circles). From the kick-off, Napoli almost produced a carbon copy. Lozano collects and has an easy pass into Kvaratskhelia, who shoots straight at goalkeeper [Kevin Trapp](https://theathletic.com/football/player/kevin-trapp-n6jjxzeGhhVrAdCm/). Their initial efforts to solve Frankfurt’s block involved player rotation. [Kristijan Jakic](https://theathletic.com/football/player/kristijan-jakic-3FFwgm5t2OW0pwWM/) and forces a turnover into the path of Osimhen… This extends Napoli’s run to six straight wins, scoring at least twice in each and conceded just once. [Hirving Lozano](https://theathletic.com/football/player/hirving-lozano-wilZnoGETTv8wZ0F/). The only problem: Frankfurt didn’t leave any spaces.

For Napoli, progressing to the UEFA Champions League quarter finals would mark their first ever appearance among Europe's elite eight teams.

On top of that, the trophy winners will pocket another $4.8 million. Napoli’s second goal, which came in the 65th minute, was the result of a concerted effort involving all three lines of Spalletti’s 4-3-3 formation: Midfielder André Zambo Anguissa played a through ball to Kvaratskhelia, who gently put it down before back-heeling it for right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s timely run. As often happened this season, Osimhen broke the deadlock by finishing off a counterattack led by Mexican winger Hirving Lozano, whose tireless runs down the right flank earned him the Player of the Match award. What’s more, Napoli’s defense has proven the most solid in Serie A, conceding only 15 goals in 23 rounds. Last night, Spalletti’s men took care of business at Eintracht Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, bringing home a favorable 2-0 result ahead of the In Serie A, they are currently standing 15 points clear of second-placed Inter Milan thanks to an impressive 20-2-1 season record.