A dream Napoli scrambles Liverpool, Inter knocks out Bayern

A dream triumph, a defeat full of regret.

Napoli was the protagonist on Champions League Wednesday night: in fact, the partenopei routed the feared Liverpool 4-1, literally scrambled at the Maradona Stadium. Inter, on the other hand, fell at the San Siro, bent 2-0 by a Bayern Munich side that was overpowering in the first half and much less fearsome in the second.

For Napoli, the cup night immediately got off to the best start: the lead came as early as the 5th minute, thanks to a penalty converted by Zielinski. The action that generated it was screaming, with splendid duet between Kvaratskhelia and Zielinski himself. Napoli also had the luxury of missing a second penalty shot with Osimhen in the 18th minute (Alisson did well to dive in from the right side), but in the 31st minute Anguissa found the double on a splendid service again by Zielinski and even in the 44th minute Simeone (who had just taken over from Osimhen) only had to deposit into the net the ball masterfully worked by Kvaratskhelia. The second half opened as the first had closed, with Zielinski’s goal (this time on a tap-in after an earlier save by Alisson). Only for the almanacs was Luis Diaz’s right-footed shot that shortened for Liverpool in the 49th minute.

At the San Siro, on the other hand, Inter struggled not a little to contain Bayern Munich in the first half, although they created their chances (with Lautaro Martinez, D’Ambrosio and especially Dzeko). Drumming up, however, were the guests, who managed to take the lead in the 25th minute thanks to a trick play by Sané after an extraordinary throw from Kimmich. In the second half, however, Inter came close to equalizing on several occasions without finding it: D’Ambrosio shot sky high from an excellent position in the opening half, then Dzeko and Lautaro finished with little conviction in close quarters with the Bavarians’ goal. After Kimmich’s goalpost, however, in the 67th minute a drunken move by Bayern led to Sané crossing a ball into the center that D’Ambrosio dragged into the net for the own goal that set the final score.