“Today is the anniversary of Diego Maradona‘s passing. We know what he means to Napoli and it would be great to dedicate a victory to him.“
Those were the words of Napoli head coach Antonio Conte ahead of the team’s Champions League meeting with Qarabag on Tuesday. Five years on from Maradona’s death, Napoli took all three points at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, the perfect stage to honor the club’s greatest player.
A victory was exactly what Napoli needed too. Chasing their second Champions League win of the season, they delivered one that eased doubts and helped to push them up the league phase standings.
Qarabag stuck to the identity that has defined their Champions League season so far, pressing high and aggressively recovering possession. Conte’s team appeared prepared for that approach but Napoli still struggled to shake off the man-marking and break through the visitors’ defensive line.
After a goalless first half Napoli kept pushing and earned a penalty in the 55th when Jankovic collided with Di Lorenzo in the box. Hojlund stepped up and saw his spot kick saved but that seemed to raise the hosts’ levels and Napoli finally broke through in the 66th minute when McTominay headed home from a corner. With less than 20 minutes remaining McTominay struck again, attempting an overhead kick that was headed into his own net by Jankovic.
After six minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle confirmed a deserved victory for Napoli and a fitting tribute for one of soccer’s greatest-ever players.