Napoli Makes History with First-Ever Quarter-Final Spot in Champions League
Italian football club, Napoli, achieved a significant milestone in their history by securing a spot in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time ever. The team secured a 5-0 aggregate victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, the Europa League title holders.
Frankfurt arrived in Naples with a daunting task ahead of them, needing to win by three goals to progress to the last eight of the tournament. However, they were faced with the challenge of playing without their supporters in the stadium due to trouble in the city between hooligan firms and local police forces.
Despite their determination, Frankfurt’s chances of progressing were quickly diminished by Napoli’s impressive performance. Matteo Politano, Napoli’s forward, tested Frankfurt’s goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp, in the opening minute, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was denied twice before the halftime break.
Napoli finally broke the deadlock in the first-half stoppage time when Victor Osimhen scored a delightful header from Politano’s cross, becoming the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a UCL knockout tie. This gave Napoli a three-goal advantage on aggregate, setting them up for an easy cruise through to the quarter-finals.
Osimhen doubled his tally within 10 minutes of the second half when Giovanni di Lorenzo’s cross found him at the back post for a tap-in. Frankfurt’s night went from bad to worse when Djibril Sow conceded a penalty for a foul on Piotr Zieliński inside the area, allowing Zieliński to convert from 12 yards and put the icing on the cake of an historic night in Napoli’s history.
