Stadium Diego Maradona He experienced another party in a season that promises to be unforgettable. Why Naples (Giovanni Simeone played the last 9 minutes) defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the second leg of one of the keys to the round of 16 of the Champions League and thus advanced for the first time in its history to the quarterfinals of the leading club tournament in Europe. Before the celebration, the Neapolitans had to observe in the center of their city a din which had the German ultras who came to Italy as stellar protagonists and some of them as supporting actors.
The cast led by Luciano Spalletti he had done most of his homework three weeks ago, when they had won 2-0 in Germany. The only question was how a team that is parading in Serie A and is counting the days to break a streak of 33 years without winning a Scudetto would respond to an unprecedented opportunity, but which is not used to these continental battles. “History awaits my team, but I don’t think this creates further pressure”the coach had warned.
Indeed, his men carried no extra weight. Against an opponent who tried to pressure him from the start, Napoli responded with their usual orderly and patient handling of the ball, also trusting that a lunge could occur at any time. He didn’t lack reasons to believe it: in the previous seven Champions League matches he had scored 22 goals, 11 of which in his three appearances at his fiefdom.
The strike came at the end of the first half and the visit didn’t worry goalkeeper Alex Meret: Matteo Politano’s cross from the right headed the goalkeeper Nigerian Victor Osimhen. It was the definitive sentence for the champion of the last Europa League, who saw how his impotence won the battle over his urgency.
In addition, the relentless masked Osimhen (he has 4 goals in the Champions League and 19 in Serie A) and the Pole Piotr Zielinski, from a penalty, shaped the victory. As, Napoli have joined Inter and Milan, meaning Italy will have three sides in the quarter-finals of this continental competition for the first time since 2006 (then there were Juventus, Milan and Inter).
A few hours before the meeting, the center of Naples had been the scene of clashes between police officers and the 600 Eintracht fans who had gone to Naples despite the city authorities having banned the sale of tickets to supporters residing in Germany to avoid a repeat of the incidents that occurred before the first leg.
The revolting Teutons smashed car windows, they set fire to a patrol car and they launched rockets, chairs and other objects. Their goal was to engage in hand-to-hand combat with fellow Neapolitans, but uniformed officers prevented this, although they failed to stop locals from throwing stones and bottles at buses carrying visitors . “It’s an unacceptable situation, typical of a guerrilla”complained the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi.
Source: Clarin
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