Real Madrid edge five-goal thriller against Napoli in Champions League
The standout fixture of Group C saw fans in fine voice in a buzzing Diego Armando Maradona stadium. The speed and guile of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen for Gli Azzurri dazzled their illustrious visitors, yet it was the infallible Jude Bellingham who almost unlocked the hosts' backline early on.
The 20-year-old, whom teammate Federico Valverde recently called "an era-defining player" flicked a delightful ball through to Vinicius Junior, who was denied only by a fine Alex Meret save.
The side draped in blue stood firm, and a stadium that so often delivers showed early signs of doing so once more when Leo Ostigard headed home after Kepa Arrizabalaga missed his punched clearance.
But Madrid, who have made several comebacks this campaign, would hit back in a jaw-dropping seven minutes of Bellingham brilliance. Firstly, the Englishman nicked the ball from the Napoli backline and set off Vinicius for a delightful equaliser, before wowing adoring Madridistas with a delightful solo goal which culminated in a side-footed finish from 10 yards.
To their credit, the hosts - who have only been beaten in a UCL home tie by Manchester City since Real Madrid triumphed here in 2017 - came out swinging and their impressive response saw them awarded a penalty within seven minutes of the restart.
The finish was emphatic, as Piotr Zielinski smashed his penalty off the inside of the post leaving Kepa powerless. With the scores once again level the stadium bounced again with the pitch almost vibrating on the Italian coast.
No one has won the famous ‘Big Ears’ more times than Real Madrid however, and after recovering from Napoli’s second-half storm Bellingham almost completed his brace when his header sailed narrowly wide.
With the wind in their sails, a long-range strike from Valverde eventually settled the match as his powerful strike smashed the crossbar before rebounding into the net off an unfortunate Meret.
Still, Napoli refused to relent and nearly found their way back into the game with Osimhen narrowly missing the target from inside the area as Marid fans held their breath. But Carlo Ancelotti’s men held on in intimidating surroundings, and it is hard to bet against his side whilst Bellingham continues to shine bright.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
In the night's other Group C match, Braga snathed a come-from-behind 3-2 win away at Union Berlin to send the German side to the bottom of the standings.
