Napoli took a significant step towards their first Champions League quarter-final after a 2-0 victory over 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday.
Victor Osimhen's 40th-minute opener at Deutsche Bank Park set Napoli on their way in the first leg of their last-16 clash after Kevin Trapp saved a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia penalty.
Randal Kolo Muani's red card after 58 minutes only served to further Napoli's cause before Giovanni Di Lorenzo netted to secure a comfortable lead in the tie.
Eintracht will have the chance to fight back in Naples on March 15, though it appears little can stop Luciano Spalletti's Serie A leaders at present.
Kolo Muani blasted an early warning shot wide after a smart flick past Amir Rrahmani, but Napoli soon began to dominate.
Their pressure told as Aurelio Buta needlessly felled Osimhen inside the area after Hirving Lozano struck the right post, only for Trapp to dive to his right to save Kvaratskhelia's poor penalty.
Napoli did reap their rewards four minutes later, though, as Osimhen turned in Lozano's right-wing cross, with the same combination then denied a swift second by an offside flag.
Trapp parried away a swerving Lozano attempt after the interval before Kvaratskhelia wasted a glorious chance with a chip straight at the onrushing Eintracht goalkeeper, but matters went from bad to worse for Eintracht soon enough.
Kolo Muani was shown a straight red for a lunge on Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Napoli capitalised as a smart Kvaratskhelia backheel found Di Lorenzo, who curled low into the bottom-left corner to secure a two-goal cushion.
What does it mean? Business as usual for in-form Napoli
Eintracht had lost only two of 19 matches in Europe under Oliver Glasner – and just one in nine on home soil – but Napoli present an entirely different challenge this season.
Although Spalletti's in-form side, who have won 20 of 23 Serie A games this term, were slow to get going, Eintracht had no answer once they found their feet.
Napoli have never progressed past this round in the Champions League, but it will take something special to stop the rampant Partenopei this time.
Unstoppable Osimhen
Osimhen's remarkable form has led to speculation around a move to Manchester United or Chelsea, but his focus for now is on Napoli's dual bid for Serie A and Champions League glory.
The Nigeria international certainly did not appear distracted as he scored in a sixth successive match – his best streak for Napoli.
Error compounds Eintracht misery
Kolo Muani embodied Eintracht's early promise, with his nimble footwork and pace causing repeated problems down the right flank.
But hopes of a positive outcome in this first leg – and perhaps in the tie, too – were erased after a reckless tackle was rightly punished.
What's next?
Napoli return to action in Serie A with a Saturday trip to Empoli, while Eintracht travel to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on the same day.
VAR Darren England discusses avoiding mistakes in interview for children’s book
The official responsible for Saturday’s VAR blunder broke his own golden rule when he wrongly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool at Tottenham, a new book has revealed.
Darren England submitted to a Q&A for ‘The Football School Encyclopedia’ in which, asked ‘What is the hardest part of the job?’ he responds: “Making sure you do not make a mistake that impacts the outcome of the match.
“This is the worst thing for us.”
By a remarkable quirk of timing, the book, which is written by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton and aimed at younger readers, will be published on Thursday and offers insight into one of those responsible for what veteran former referee Keith Hackett described in the Telegraph as an episode of “staggering incompetence”.
England and his VAR assistant Dan Cook have been stood down from future appointments while Professional Game Match Officials Limited chiefs undertake a full review of the “significant human error” that it concedes was made during the game.
In the Q&A, which was conducted prior to the incident, England continues: “I try to prepare the same way for every match, which is to stay calm and relaxed.
“During the match I remain very focused and just take each decision I need to make, one at a time.
“I do not worry about past decisions in the game as it is all about the next decision.”
The Football School Encyclopedia is aimed at younger readers and boasts its appeal to “anyone with a thirst for knowledge, amazing true stories, terrific trivia, brain-busting quizzes, eye-popping colour, laugh-out-loud cartoons on every page – and everything you want to know about football!”
Steven Davis vows to ‘give his all’ after being put in interim charge of Rangers
Steven Davis is determined to make the most of his chance in the Rangers hotseat as he admitted it came sooner than expected.
The 38-year-old Northern Ireland international, who had two successful spells as a player at Ibrox, was asked by the Gers board on Sunday evening to take the reins until they appoint a new permanent boss following the departure of Michael Beale.
The former Gers midfielder, who had been returning to fitness at the Ibrox club after a serious knee injury despite his contract expiring in the summer, will be assisted by fellow former Rangers players Alex Rae and Steven Smith, as well as coach Brian Gilmour and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart.
Speaking in Cyprus ahead of the Europa League clash with Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night, Davis spoke about a “whirlwind” few days while addressing his future.
“Obviously it came out of the blue,” said Davis, who revealed Nicolas Raskin and Kemar Roofe have returned from injury.
“Sunday evening, I was just at home. It wasn’t a call that I was expecting.
“Things moved very fast and I came in on Monday morning and I started to work.
“It was James Bisgrove (chief executive) and Craig Robertson (board member) that I received the phonecall from.
“Obviously it was a bit of a whirlwind after that. I went off the phone and I had a few conversations but my decision was made very quickly.
“I was honoured by the fact the board had that conversation and my name came up and they put their trust in me to try and do this job.
“I’m going to give it my all to try and be successful.
“Listen, there’s not been any conversation in terms of a time frame. I all happened very quickly.
“I was asked to come in and take the game tonight. How things play out after that I’m not too sure.
“Regarding my feelings around it, I’ve obviously got ambitions. I did not quite expect it to happen quite as soon.
“I’m just determined really to make the most of the opportunity I’ve been given and we will see what develops from there.
“I’ve got the experience of Alex Rae in beside me and Colin Stewart and Steven Smith and Brian.
“I’ve had a lot of messages from managers I’ve worked under. Unfortunately I’ve not had a chance to respond because it’s been quite intense preparing for this game.
“I appreciate the support I’ve been given but I haven’t had the chance to reach out to anyone or felt the need to just yet.”
Beale departed the club following the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox which left the Light Blues seven points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic, albeit they beat Real Betis 1-0 in their first Europa League fixture.
Davis insists it is time for everyone at the club to “step up”.
He said: “‘Listen, there’s a lot of character within the dressing room. There’s a lot of leaders in there as well.
“Everyone knows it’s time to step up. The great thing about football is you get another opportunity to turn things around.
“It’s not a position we want to be in. Everybody is hurting from it.
“The main focus is first and foremost getting a result on Thursday and building on it from there.
“We won our opening group game. We are in a strong position and we want to build on that
“I think for us we just want to give the boys the freedom to go out and play to their strengths really.”
UK and Ireland bid for Euro 2028 to be unopposed after Turkey withdraw interest
The UK and Ireland will host Euro 2028, subject to final approval from UEFA’s executive committee next week, after Turkey withdrew its interest.
The five-nation bid is now the only option on the table for the finals in five years’ time after Turkey pulled out of contention for the 2028 finals to focus on a joint bid with Italy for Euro 2032.
UEFA will formally announce the hosts for the two tournaments following a meeting of its executive committee in Switzerland next week.
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