Frankfurt, Feb 22 (BNA): Victor Osimhen scored again as Napoli beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.
The Nigerian forward scored his 10th goal in his last eight appearances in all competitions, opening the scoring in the 40th minute after a period of concerted pressure from the visitors, the Associated Press reports.
Osimhen had just hit the post and team mate Khvisha Kvaratskhelia had a penalty saved by Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp as he faced deafening whistles from the team’s fans.
Buoyed by Kvaratskhelia’s penalty miss, Frankfurt began to push forward as the cheers of the cheering crowd grew louder and the match turned more intense.
Hirving Lozano took advantage of the extra space, racing down the right wing and crossing for Osimhen’s easy finish at the back post. They repeated the trick a minute later, but this time the goal was awarded for offside.
Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo scored the second goal in the 65th minute, finishing a great move for the team with a sweeping shot inside the far post after Kvaratskhelia had hit the ball into his path. Andre Franck Zambo-Angesa played the Georgian with a heavy through ball.
Frankfurt’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a blow minutes before star striker Randall Kolo Mwane was sent off for attacking Anguisa with his open sole as the two controlled possession. This means that the French striker will be suspended for the second leg in Naples.
“We tried everything,” said Frankfurt midfielder Mario Gotze. “The game went against us, and also with a red card. It was fatal for us. We didn’t play badly in the first few minutes. They played well at the end.”
Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner said his team would not give up.
“We will not raise the white flag in Naples,” Glassner said. “Many things are possible in football.” “It hurts today. We made a lot of mistakes. We have to learn from that.”
His counterpart, Luciano Spalletti, also warned against thinking the confrontation would end despite his team’s clear dominance. Napoli scored 17 attempts, compared to five for the home team.
“There is still a game to go, and we still have to play it,” Spalletti said. “Arrogance is the greatest enemy.”
Frankfurt fans started a large display of fireworks behind a goal at the start of the match, partly in protest at the local authorities after they failed to reach an agreement on the planned choreography due to safety concerns.
There was a heavy police presence in and around what was considered a high-risk game due to some fans’ desire for violence. Police made nine arrests the night before and were preparing for more trouble later on Tuesday.
Napoli fans took to the pitch in a bid to keep them away from the home crowd, while a large buffer zone was in place around their section of the pitch to ensure there was no contact between rivals.
And Napoli, who lead the Italian League by 15 points, seemed annoyed early on with uncharacteristic errors, before Osimhen calmed the nerves of the guests.