Napoli Collapse as Villarreal Fight Back for 3-1 Champions League Victory
Napoli suffered a damaging 3-1 defeat to Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League after surrendering an early lead, with Amir Rrahmani's opener cancelled out before a costly Matteo Politano back-pass contributed to their collapse. The Italian side started brightly after their 3-0 Serie A victory over Frosinone at the weekend, but defensive errors and missed opportunities proved costly as Villarreal recovered to claim all three points.
Rrahmani gave Napoli the lead by reacting quickest to a rebound following a corner routine involving Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour. The defender turned the ball into the net after his initial header was pushed onto the underside of the crossbar.
Villarreal responded positively, creating several opportunities to equalise. Georges Mikautadze came close, while Pape Gueye fired narrowly wide from a corner as the hosts increased the pressure on Napoli's defence.
Napoli nearly doubled their advantage when Rasmus Hojlund headed Politano's cross against the woodwork. However, the missed opportunity was quickly followed by a costly mistake from Politano, whose poor back-pass was intercepted by Mikautadze.
The Villarreal forward took advantage of the error, drawing goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic off his line before scoring from a tight angle into an empty net. The hosts completed their comeback shortly afterwards when Santiago Mourino unleashed a powerful long-range strike that flew beyond Milinkovic-Savic to put Villarreal 2-1 ahead.
Napoli attempted to respond, with Scott McTominay coming close to equalising with a free header that flashed narrowly wide. The midfielder was making his first start five weeks after undergoing surgery to correct a mild, benign heart arrhythmia.
Despite creating chances, Napoli struggled to find a way through Villarreal's defence after the break. Goalkeeper Luiz Junior made an important intervention to deny Hojlund, while a decisive interception from Benoit Badiashile prevented another promising Napoli attack from producing a goal.
Napoli's task briefly appeared easier when Villarreal were reduced to nine men for several minutes amid the delayed-substitution rules. However, the visitors failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage.
Hojlund endured a frustrating spell in front of goal, volleying a rebound onto his own face after Luiz Junior fumbled a free-kick. On another occasion, the striker dribbled past three defenders but took the ball too wide to finish effectively.