Porto finally have their first win in this season’s Champions League, and it came in style. Francesco Farioli’s team beat Napoli 4-1 at the Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday night, scoring three times in the second half.
It was a very different night for Massimiliano Allegri. Napoli have now lost three of their four games in the league phase and are still on three points.
Two goals from corners
Porto went ahead in the first half when Jan Bednarek headed in from a corner. Napoli pushed hard after that, and Scott McTominay got the equaliser just before half-time.
The second half belonged to the home side. Gabri Veiga put Porto back in front, and then Jakub Kiwior headed in from another corner to make it 3-1.
The last goal came right at the end. Rafa Marín brought down Samu Aghehowa in the box and was sent off, so Napoli finished with ten men. Samu took the penalty himself and scored.
What Allegri said
The Napoli coach did not blame his players. “Unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a set-piece early on, and they did well to take the lead,” he said after the game.
“I’m disappointed because we’re going through a difficult period, but I can’t fault the lads for anything tonight,” he added.
Where it leaves both teams
Porto had lost all three of their earlier games in the competition, against Manchester City, Real Betis and PSV. This win takes them to three points, level with Napoli.
At home, things are going much better for Porto. They went into this game top of the Portuguese league after winning all ten of their league matches.
Napoli are in a hard spell. They lost 2-0 at Juventus on Sunday and sit eighth in Serie A. Allegri has a long injury list, and he needs a reaction quickly.
Our take
Porto had looked nervous in Europe, but their league form finally showed up on a big night. The two headers from corners will worry Allegri most, because that is something a team can fix on the training ground.
For Napoli the numbers are now bad. Three defeats from four games leaves very little room for mistakes in the last four rounds.
Can Allegri turn Napoli’s season around? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Jakub Kiwior by Chensiyuan (CC BY-SA 4.0); Scott McTominay by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0); Jan Bednarek by Timmy96 (CC0); Estádio do Dragão by Ivan Stesso (CC BY-SA 4.0).
