Napoli climbed into Serie A’s top four after a deserved 2-0 win at Salernitana.

The reigning champions have endured a stuttering start to their title defence but closed the gap on the leaders on Saturday.

Giacomo Raspadori’s first-half goal and Elif Elmas’ late strike extended Napoli’s unbeaten run to four games in all competitions.

It is a mini resurgence for Rudi Garcia’s side after successive defeats to Real Madrid in the Champions League and Fiorentina in Serie A last month.

Defeat saw the hosts slip to a 12th game without a win to set an unwanted record of their longest winless run in Serie A. They remain rock bottom of the table with four points from their opening 12 games.

Napoli remain without the injured Victor Osimhen, in Nigeria having been granted time off by the club, but Italy striker Raspadori scored in his third straight game to ease the pressure on the champions.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had already gone close, firing wide from the edge of the box, before Raspadori put Napoli in front after 13 minutes when he collected Stanislav Lobotka’s pass and rifled in from 10 yards.

It continued his good form after goals against Union Berlin in the Champions League and in last week’s 2-2 draw against AC Milan.

Matteo Politano almost added a second two minutes later but Guillermo Ochoa turned his drive over after the winger had cut inside.

Raspadori went close to doubling the visitors’ lead when he forced Ochoa into a smart stop before Politano hit the outside of a post from 20 yards.

Salernitana had not beaten Napoli since they were both in Serie B in 2002 and Ochoa kept the visitors at bay.

The goalkeeper turned Piotr Zielinski’s volley from the edge of the box wide just after the hour.

Yet he did need Lorenzo Pirola to stop Politano making it 2-0 with a crucial close-range block.

Raspadori was withdrawn with 22 minutes left as Garcia sensed victory was close and a flurry of substitutions upset the game’s rhythm until eight minutes from time.

Salernitana’s hopes of a comeback and a valuable point in their battle against the drop were ended by Elmas.

The substitute wrapped up the points for the visitors when he took the ball from Mathias Olivera and found the bottom corner from 15 yards, despite Ochoa getting a hand to the strike.

Victor Osimhen will miss Napoli’s Serie A derby against Salernitana with the striker due back with the squad next week to continue his recovery from injury.

The 24-year-old, a reported target of Manchester United and Chelsea, has been out since mid-October with a hamstring problem.

Osimhen was granted permission by the club to travel home to Nigeria but he will return over the next few days to build up his fitness.

“He has made an agreement with the club,” head coach Rudi Garcia told a press conference.

“I’ve heard from him by message, and the doctors assure me that he is following the program. Everything is fine and he will be with us next week.”

Napoli will travel to Salernitana without Osimhen or young striker Lorenzo Russo.

“It’s not that I don’t care, but whether it’s Osimhen or Russo, injured together, cannot play and therefore I focus on who can play,” added Garcia.

“It won’t be an easy match, it’s a derby first of all, they need points, but we only have one positive result to achieve, the victory there, and we have to field the best version of Napoli, we know what to do.”

Napoli currently lie fifth in the table and are already seven points behind leaders Inter Milan.

But they did hit back from two goals down at half-time to draw 2-2 with AC Milan on Sunday thanks to second-half goals from Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori.

“We’re a quarter of the way through the championship, three quarters remain to get back to whoever is in front,” said Garcia.

“We conceded two goals from Milan’s first two actions, we didn’t do badly, we should have done better on the two goals, but we also had the chance to make it 1-1, but that’s over now and let’s focus on tomorrow.

“Obviously when a team comes back from 0-2 to almost 3-2 at the last minute the second half was better in terms of results. It’s always better to end on a positive note.”

Salernitana lie bottom of the table, without a win so far and with four points from their opening 10 matches.

Napoli came alive in the second half of their 2-2 draw with AC Milan after Olivier Giroud twice headed home for the visitors before the break at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Milan looked to be in complete control after the Frenchman bagged his brace in the opening period, but the momentum swung completely in the opposite direction after the restart when Matteo Politano halved the deficit in the 50th minute.

Giacomo Raspadori’s stunning free-kick from 25 yards ensured it was all square after 63 minutes of a thoroughly entertaining contest in the Campania capital.

Napoli were forced to play the final few minutes with 10 men after Natan was sent off, but neither side could find a winner despite both teams having late chances.

The evening opened with an excellent piece of defending by Amir Rrahmani to block a close-range Giroud effort after the ball had deflected favourably in the Frenchman’s path.

There was bad news for the Rossoneri when centre-back Pierre Kalulu went down and was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue, with boss Stefano Pioli was short of options with Malick Thiaw serving a suspension and Simon Kjaer suffering a muscle problem.

On came 20-year-old Marco Pellegrino, making his Serie A debut and himself forced off late on, but it was a man 17 years the debutant’s senior who would provide the spark Pioli’s side needed.

Giroud’s opener came thanks to a superb delivery from Christian Pulisic to set up the 37-year-old for a glancing header that caught the fingertips of Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret before going in.

AC Milan soon extended their advantage, this time Davide Calabria providing the cross for Giroud to nod into the bottom left corner after winning an aerial battle with Rrahmani.

The visitors were cruising and had multiple chances to make it 3-0 before the break, while Napoli had not managed a shot on target.

Napoli boss Rudi Garcia made a triple change at half-time and the switch quickly seemed to pay dividends for the hosts when Politano thundered a left-footed strike under the crossbar from the edge of the area.

Milan, who had dominated the first half, were suddenly on the back foot, somehow surviving a relentless spell from Napoli that would have left them ruing their earlier missed chances when Raspadori curled home the equaliser from 25 yards.

Natan was sent off after his clumsy challenge on Giovanni Simeone resulted in a second booking, but the visitors could not capitalise on the man advantage through four minutes of added time, coming closest through captain Calabria’s header into the side-netting.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nearly snatched victory for the home side, but Milan keeper Mike Maignan reacted quickly to keep out the Georgian’s sharp effort and ensure the points were shared.

Rudi Garcia is determined to hit AC Milan when they are down and relaunch Napoli’s Serie A title defence.

A rocky start to the season saw the Partenopei fall well short of expectations and critics of new head coach Garcia’s approach did not take long to make their voices heard.

But three league wins from four have thrust Napoli right back into contention and a home win against second-placed Milan, whose bubble has been burst by consecutive defeats to Juventus and Paris St Germain, could lift them to third.

“We have this home match against one of our direct rivals and it’s one we really want to win,” Garcia told reporters.

“There’s a good atmosphere in the camp. We’ve had a decent run of results but we know that if we really want to move up the table we need to keep winning back-to-back games.

“We want victory at home especially because we have the help of our fans after two wins on the road.”

Milan were one of the few sides to get the better of Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli last season, memorably winning 4-0 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as the hosts were trying to rubber-stamp their Scudetto.

“It will be a different game to last season,” Garcia said. “People keep saying this Napoli team is different to the one from last season so this game against Milan will be different too.”

Rossoneri boss Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, is demanding an instant response to last weekend’s San Siro reverse against Juve and a 3-0 humiliation at PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.

He said at a press conference: “The team is hungry to turn things around.

“For the first time this season, we’ve lost two in a row in two big games and tomorrow we have another one.

“We’ll need to show that we have the quality to be a consistent side. We have to keep at it for 95 minutes against teams like this.

“We must live in the present; we’ve made mistakes and got results that we didn’t want. We have the chance in Naples to put in a better performance and show that we’re better.

“Garcia is a great coach. He had issues at the start – which is normal – but now they’re playing well and creating a lot.

“We need to be aware of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia because he can hurt you one-on-one. We’ll try to be alert.”

Rudi Garcia hailed Napoli for taking their lone clear chance in a largely uninspiring Champions League win over Union Berlin.

Giacomo Raspadori poached the only goal of the game after excellent work by player of the match Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the Bundesliga side having had the better of the game for long periods in front of a raucous crowd at the Olympiastadion.

Napoli coach Garcia told the club’s website: “We won with anger, patience, the desire to prevail and also intelligence.

“Right before we started we knew that we would be facing a complicated match. But we were calm, we never really suffered any danger, but it’s also true that in the first half we created little, also because on this heavy pitch it was difficult.

“Then in the second half with patience and intelligence we found the way to the goal. Kvara’s action and Raspa’s turn were beautiful from a technical point of view. A beautiful goal that I liked both for the assist and for the conclusion.

“We are a team that knows how to play the ball but also knows how to run and fight. These are the main characteristics with which we must continue our journey.”

Napoli lie second in Group C and Kvaratskhelia told uefa.com: “The group looks good but we must still focus on the other games and try to win those.

“Thanks for choosing me as player of the match today, but other players were very important too – and next time it could be someone else who wins it.”

The goal came when Mario Rui won the ball well and fed the Georgian on the left. His first cross was cleared back to him but he took on Christopher Trimmel and teed up Raspadori six yards out to finish decisively.

Union had a goal disallowed in the first half, with the impressive David Datro Fofana flagged offside after setting up Janik Haberer, and largely kept their Serie A opponents at arm’s length but remain bottom of the group after a third straight loss.

Coach Urs Fischer told uefa.com: “I’m disappointed. We put in so much to restrict them to just one shot on goal, and we still lost 1-0.

“Despite that, we did a lot well. We weren’t missing too much today.

“The group table doesn’t look good, of course. It’s almost impossible to qualify but that’s the situation we find ourselves in.

“We hoped to get a result but it didn’t come off. Still, I’m really proud of our performance today.”

Giacomo Raspadori scored the only goal against the run of play as Napoli ground out a 1-0 Champions League win over Union Berlin.

Raspadori’s second-half strike gave his side a three-point cushion in second place in Group C ahead of Braga, who lost 2-1 to leaders Real Madrid.

Union gave a good account of themselves at a raucous Olympiastadion but remain pointless at the bottom of the group.

Diogo Leite headed over from an early Union corner and while the early action on the pitch was otherwise flat, the bouncing home fans were creating quite an atmosphere.

Janik Haberer was denied an opener for the hosts after David Datro Fofana, on loan from Chelsea, tricked his way through brilliantly and laid on a close-range tap-in but was then pulled back by a delayed offside flag.

Brenden Aaronson fired woefully over from Sheraldo Becker’s cutback while Napoli’s wing wizard Kvicha Kvaratskhelia was crowded out after some impressive trickery.

Fofana had a shot saved at the near post and then set up Rani Khedira to swing an effort wide.

Napoli attackers Raspadori and Matteo Politano were consistently too ponderous in cutting inside to shoot, allowing the Union defence to stand firm. Fofana headed wide at the other end in the one minute added to the first half.

The start of the second half was, if anything, even less inspiring but Napoli struck in the 65th minute with a goal created by key man Kvaratskhelia.

Mario Rui won the ball well and fed the Georgian on the left. His first cross was cleared back to him but he took on Christopher Trimmel and teed up Raspadori six yards out to finish decisively.

The Italy forward was soon replaced by Giovanni Simeone among a raft of substitutions by both teams – with Fofana looking aggrieved to be withdrawn – before Eljif Elmas, a half-time introduction, curled a shot high and wide with Napoli team-mates in better positions.

Robin Knoche headed Trimmel’s excellent cross just wide and though Union pushed desperately for a late equaliser, there was to be no way through.

Boss Rudi Garcia admits Napoli must beat Union Berlin to ensure they maintain a strong position in the Champions League.

Garcia’s men sit second in Group C, three points behind leaders Real Madrid, who won 3-2 in Naples earlier this month.

Napoli opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Braga in Portugal and now go to Union Berlin on Tuesday.

“We know all about Union Berlin’s recent history, they reached the Champions League after an excellent season last year,” said Garcia.

“They have strong players like (Leonardo) Bonucci and (Lucas) Tousart. The Champions League is a great competition to play for both players and coaches.

“We started well, but then we didn’t take any points against Real Madrid and we have to win tomorrow.”

The Serie A champions ended a run of successive home defeats by Real in Europe and Fiorentina in the league with a 3-1 win at Verona on Saturday in which Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice.

However, they will once again be without star striker Victor Osimhen as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Berlin coach Urs Fischer has told his Champions League debutants to have “fun” as they attempt to end a dreadful run of eight successive defeats in all competitions.

Fischer told a press conference: “We have a difficult opponent ahead of us, the Italian champions, but we must remain optimistic and remember that football is fun.

“We will face Napoli in the right manner to try to take away points.”

That is something the Germans, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, have failed to do in either of their games to date after losing 1-0 at Bernabeu Stadium courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time strike before going down 3-2 to Braga at the Olympiastadion in a game in which they had led 2-0.

They have suffered on the domestic front too after going into the international break on the back of a 4-2 defeat at Borussia Dortmund and emerging from it to lose 3-0 at home to Stuttgart on Saturday.

However, midfielder Rani Khedira, who made his first league start of the season at the weekend after injury, insisted he and his team-mates had to remain optimistic.

Khedira said: “The key is to continue to have confidence and optimism. Tomorrow we will have to play with humility, and it will not be easy, but we must not get down about it and we must try to win.”

Germany international Robin Gosens is a doubt for the game, while much-decorated Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci will hope for a return after failing to make it off the bench at the weekend.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice as Napoli relaunched their Serie A title defence with a 3-1 victory at struggling Hellas Verona.

Recent underwhelming form saw Rudi Garcia’s men suffer a home defeat by Fiorentina last time out but they were always likely to get more from a trip to a Verona side who were winless in six matches heading into Saturday afternoon’s clash.

Matteo Politano made the first-half breakthrough before Kvaratskhelia scored either side of the break to render Darko Lazovic’s response largely redundant as Napoli consolidated themselves in fifth, not far behind the leading pack.

Napoli were first to threaten as Giacomo Raspadori forced Lorenzo Montipo to punch clear from a venomous free-kick in the seventh minute.

Raspadori soon tried again, this time connecting with a Mario Rui touch to test Montipo from distance. The Verona goalkeeper parried for a corner but he was not so successful in the 27th minute when Napoli opened the scoring.

Mario Rui, Piotr Zielinski and Raspadori tied Verona up in knots with a series of short passes before the latter crossed to an unmarked Politano for a volleyed left-footed finish at the far post.

There was almost a quickfire second when Jens Cajuste, put through by the slick Raspadori, spanked it wide from a one-on-one with Montipo.

Kvaratskhelia gave Napoli a two-goal lead before half-time, however. A rapid counter-attack down the right side gave Politano plenty of time to pick out the Georgian on the other flank for a low drive inside the near post.

Verona tried to slash the deficit as soon as play resumed, with Federico Bonazzoli latching onto Milan Djuric’s pass and fizzing it towards Alex Meret in the Napoli goal.

Instead Kvaratskhelia fired the Partenopei well clear when, in the 55th minute, he collected another Politano assist and coolly beat Montipo.

Lazovic promptly bit back for wounded Verona, though, when the visitors failed to deal with Davide Faraoni’s cross on the hour mark and the Serbian scorched one in.

With a potential comeback on the cards the game opened up and Djuric and Politano enjoyed opportunities at either end before Meret pulled off a desperate stop to deny Bonazzoli before needing to keep Lazovic at bay not long after.

Substitute Alessio Zerbin looked to rubber-stamp the Napoli win as time ticked away but Montipo prevented further damage by blocking the daisy cutter with his legs, limiting the winning margin to two goals.

Napoli have dismissed claims that relations with star striker Victor Osimhen have turned “frosty” after contract talks broke down without resolution.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis had revealed discussions over an extension to the 24-year-old Nigeria international’s current deal, which runs until the summer of 2025, had reached a standstill, prompting suggestions of a breakdown in the relationship between club and player.

Osimhen, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all touted as potential suitors, has found himself in the headlines in recent weeks after a video posted on the club’s official TikTok account appeared to mock him, while he was also involved in a public spat with manager Rudi Garcia, for which he has since apologised.

However, a statement issued on Napoli’s official website on Friday said: “SSC Napoli would like to clarify recent comments made by president Aurelio De Laurentiis regarding Victor Osimhen, given that his words have been distorted by certain media publications.

“President De Laurentiis did not say anything negative about Victor. He simply stated that after a series of lengthy contract negotiations which ended with the parties shaking hands and agreeing to continue together, Victor had second thoughts.

“President De Laurentiis hopes this is merely a pause for reflection. Over the coming weeks, when Victor will not be able to play as he recovers from injury, the president, Osimhen and his agent Roberto Calenda will sit down calmly to discuss the future.

“Describing relations between Osimhen and Napoli as ‘frosty’ is entirely out of place.”

Osimhen is currently recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during Nigeria’s 2-2 friendly draw with Saudi Arabia in Portugal last Friday and is facing several weeks on the sidelines.

He will therefore play no part in Saturday’s trip to Verona – Frank Anguissa and Juan Jesus are also in the treatment room – as Garcia’s men attempt to bounce back from successive home defeats by Real Madrid in the Champions League and Fiorentina in Serie A.

Victory at the Stadio Bentegodi would steady the ship for the side currently sitting in fifth place in the table ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League visit to Union Berlin.

Verona are without a win in six league outings and have collected only two points along the way, and boss Marco Baroni knows they will have to be at their very best to take anything from the reigning champions.

Baroni told a press conference: “Tomorrow we’ll face the reigning champions. In general I always believe in what we do: in order to reach our goal we need everyone. The more we are solid as a group, the faster we’ll improve.

“Napoli is a really tough side to face. We’ll have to give it all both as individuals and as a team, we can’t do differently. Then we’ll see the final response on the field.”

Fiorentina underlined their credentials to challenge for a European place this season as they upset defending champions Napoli 3-1 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Although Victor Osimhen’s penalty in first-half stoppage time cancelled out an early strike from Josip Brekalo, Napoli had no answer after Giacomo Bonaventura restored Fiorentina’s lead in the 63rd minute, with substitute Nicolas Gonzalez adding a late third.

The result sees Fiorentina move level with Napoli on 14 points, seven behind early pace-setters AC Milan.

Fiorentina started brightly, with Lucas Martinez seeing an ambitious early overhead kick effort blocked, and those endeavours were rewarded when they took the lead with seven minutes gone.

It was Martinez again who saw his rather awkward effort off his knee bounce back off the post, but it fell for Brekalo to slot it through the goalkeeper’s legs from a tight angle.

Napoli’s desire to make amends saw them pour forward but too many of their moves were rushed, the ball pinging about on the edge of the Fiorentina box in a manner they could not control.

A chaotic move saw the ball in the back of the net after 22 minutes but they were denied an equaliser by the assistant’s flag.

Osimhen’s shot was blocked but Matteo Politano’s disguised pass found Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Fiorentina again got in a block and Mathias Olivera was offside when he sent in a cross-cum-shot that was tucked in by Osimhen at the far post.

They kept coming forward, but Pietro Terracciano made a fine save to keep out Stanislav Lobotka’s powerful drive.

Osimhen’s penalty appeals were in vain when he was bundled over late in the first half, but the officials could not ignore him in stoppage time when Fabiano Parisi’s chested pass back to Terracciano fell short and the goalkeeper collided with the advancing striker.

And, having put himself back on penalty duty, Osimhen dispatched a powerful shot from the spot.

Fiorentina nearly got back in front five minutes into the second half when Jonathan Ikone’s shot struck the right-hand post.

It was end-to-end at this point – Osimhen sent a shot across goal for Napoli, then Ikone narrowly missed the target through a crowded box.

Osimhen should have put the hosts in front just before the hour when he broke away down the left but he was too slow to shoot and Terracciano cut off the angle.

And Fiorentina made him pay for the missed opportunity as the visitors retook the lead moments later. Alfred Duncan ran into trouble but the ball bounced for Bonaventura, left in far too much space on the penalty spot, and he tucked the ball away.

Napoli pushed for an equaliser but it would be Fiorentina celebrating at the end as they hit their hosts on the counter attack in stoppage time, with Gonzalez finishing the move.

Napoli boss Rudi Garcia is expecting his team to deliver against Fiorentina on Sunday.

The Partenopei boss revealed at a press conference that he asked his team to win their three Serie A matches ahead of the international break, following a disappointing goalless draw at Bologna.

After a 4-1 home victory over Udinese and 4-0 success at Lecce last time out, Garcia’s players are close to providing the right answer to his request.

Ahead of Sunday’s visit of La Viola to the Stadio Maradona, Garcia told his club’s official website: “I asked the team for three straight wins and on Sunday we have the chance to achieve that.

“We’re in third place, alongside Fiorentina. We want to beat them to stay up near the top and consolidate our position.”

However, the 59-year-old knows his team will not have things all their own way as they seek to extend their winning league run.

He continued: “We know they’re a team who play good football and they’ve enjoyed an excellent start to the season.

“Fiorentina have top-quality players, they’re well drilled and have a clear playing philosophy. They’ve scored lots of headed goals and we’ve analysed their strengths.

“They’re a similar team to us in the way they press and win the ball back. We know it will be a difficult match but we’re playing at home and we must show we’re capable of winning it.”

Despite their strong league form, Napoli lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

However, Garcia says the team should not be short of confidence despite the home defeat.

He explained: “We can take confidence and become stronger because of it. The way we played shows we’re capable of giving world-class teams like Real a game.

“There were little things we should have done better, especially when we conceded the goals, but it can help us grow.

“The Real Madrid match shows we’re a strong side but now we need to take that into our game on Sunday and be even more determined when defending.”

Garcia has not ruled out making changes against Fiorentina, revealing he would decide after their final training session ahead of the game.

Defender Amir Rrahmani is closing in on a return from a muscle injury but is not yet fit to play 90 minutes.

Jude Bellingham’s dream start to life at Real Madrid continued as his mesmerising solo goal helped the Spanish giants down Napoli to make it two wins from two in this season’s Champions League.

Having grabbed a last-gasp winner to see off Union Berlin a fortnight ago, Bellingham first teed up Vinicius Junior to score after Leo Ostigard had put Napoli ahead at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Bellingham’s fabulous driving run and strike put Real ahead and, although they were pegged back by Piotr Zielinski’s penalty, Federico Valverde’s venomous strike rebounded off Alex Meret as Napoli lost 3-2.

Bellingham’s stunning goal – his eighth in nine matches since moving to the Spanish capital in the summer – threatened to be overshadowed by a contentious penalty awarded to the hosts.

Nacho Fernandez was penalised as the ball inadvertently cannoned off his legs into his arm after he had slid to cut out a cross from Victor Osimhen. While a corner was awarded on-field, referee Emil Bozinovski reversed his decision and gave a spot-kick after being summoned to the VAR monitor.

But Meret’s own goal saw Carlo Ancelotti enjoy a winning return to the side he managed from May 2018 to December 2019 as Real moved on to six points to go top of Group C.

Bellingham was immediately into the thick of proceedings as a long ball allowed Rodrygo to stretch his legs, although the Brazilian was unsettled enough by Stanislav Lobotka to shoot straight at Meret.

Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni blazed over, but Napoli opened the scoring in the 19th minute, thanks in part to Real goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missing a punch to clear Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s corner.

Although Bernardo Natan’s looping header thudded back off the bar, Ostigard was able to leap over Real defender Dani Carvajal to nod the rebound into an empty net.

The lead lasted eight minutes as Bellingham stretched to intercept Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s clumsy pass deep in Napoli’s half before teeing up Vinicius, who calmly slotted across Meret from an acute angle.

Real then went ahead for the first time in the 34th minute thanks to some magic from Bellingham, who collected on halfway, drove forward into the area and bulldozed his way round Ostigard before tucking a right-footed effort into the corner past Meret for his second Champions League goal in two matches.

Kepa atoned for his earlier error by getting a strong hand to keep out a header from Osimhen, who came out on top in an aerial battle with Antonio Rudiger, to keep Real ahead at half-time.

However, Napoli got the benefit of a questionable VAR decision after Osimhen’s attempted cross was cut out in the area by Nacho, whose sliding challenge ricocheted off his arm and out of play.

Bozinovski seemed bemused after being told to wait, but when he was called to the monitor the referee duly awarded a penalty, converted via a post by Zielinski, who scored his 50th Napoli goal.

That moment of fortune lifted Napoli as Kvaratskhelia shot wide before Zielinski saw his stinging drive from distance palmed away by Kepa, with Real forced to soak up some intense pressure on the hour.

Shortly after Ancelotti sent on Luka Modric, Real went close to retaking the lead as Carvajal’s snap shot was parried into the path of Bellingham, who headed the rebound wide, to his dismay.

But Real went ahead with 12 minutes left as Modric’s corner was only cleared to Valverde, who brought the ball down and unleashed a thunderbolt that crashed off the crossbar then thumped off the back of an unsuspecting Meret, who had been beaten for pace by the shot, before nestling in the net.

Ostigard forced Kepa into a save late on as Real rode a few nervy moments to pick up an important win.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would not be drawn on whether he thinks Jude Bellingham is currently the best midfielder in the world.

Bellingham, 20, scored his eighth goal in eight appearances in all competitions for Real in Saturday’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Girona.

He scored the winner in the Spanish giants’ opening Champions League game against Union Berlin two weeks ago and will aim to maintain his dream start for Ancelotti’s side in Italy against Group C rivals Napoli on Tuesday night.

Ancelotti told a press conference: “I think Bellingham has adapted very well to his new team. He’s doing very well and is showing all of his quality.

“If someone thinks he’s the best in the world then great. I think we have the best team in the world.”

Ancelotti is under no illusions as to the size of his side’s task on his return to the club who sacked him after 18 months in charge in 2019.

“Coming back here makes me remember the time I lived in the city. In this wonderful city,” Ancelotti added. “There were good moments, others less so, but the experience was positive.

“The match is the toughest for us in this group, but the reality is that we are used to it. The Real Madrid shirt weighs on us and will also weigh on the opponent.

“We are playing against one of the strongest teams in Italy, who did very well a year ago.”

Napoli, who beat Braga 2-1 in Portugal in their opening group game, sit third in Serie A, four points behind top two Inter and Milan.

Head coach Rudi Garcia, whose side appear to be hitting top form after back-to-back 4-1 and 4-0 wins against Udinese and Lecce, described Ancelotti’s squad as “unique”.

Garcia told a press conference: “They were good at signing Bellingham to replace (Karim) Benzema although they don’t cover the same position, but they were also good at signing Joselu.

“They have many valuable players technically, but also tall and strong players for set pieces.

“They have many strong footballers with technique and physicality. I don’t know who Carlo Ancelotti will play, but we must be focused on ourselves and know who we face.”

Garcia said there was nothing to compare with the Champions League, adding: “The Champions League is the best competition, it’s a special moment for coaches and players.

“Just listening to the music is enough to get motivation. Napoli must play in the Champions League every season.”

Napoli emphatically ended Lecce’s 100 per cent home record in Serie A with a 4-0 victory at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Goals from Leo Ostigard and substitutes Victor Osimhen and Gianluca Gaetano had the visitors in control before Matteo Politano converted a penalty in added time.

Both teams started the day in the top six with 11 points from six games but Rudi Garcia’s men were good value for their fourth win of the campaign to maintain the pressure on the Milan clubs.

Garcia made three changes following the convincing 4-1 defeat of Udinese in midweek, with Mathias Olivera, Giovanni Simeone and Jesper Lindstrom coming in for Mario Rui, Osimhen and Politano.

Napoli had early control in sunny Puglia with Lecce, the season’s surprise package, struggling to make an impression.

The visitors’ early enterprise was rewarded in the 16th minute when they took the lead, central defender Ostigard heading in Piotr Zielinski’s free-kick from the left unchallenged at the far post.

Lecce won only three home games last season but had already beaten Lazio, Salernitana and Genoa this time around and falling behind sparked them into life.

Roberto D’Aversa’s men, who saw their best start to a Serie A season end on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss at Juventus, threatened in the 25th minute when Nikola Krstovic brought a low, diving save out of goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Central defender Marin Pongracic then wasted the Salentini’s best first-half chance on the half hour, firing over from seven yards after a corner on the right.

However, Napoli finished the half strongly and could have led by more than one goal at the interval.

In the final five minutes of the first half, Simeone saw a powerful right-foot shot go just wide, Wladimiro Falcone saved from Zielinski, then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was narrowly off-target with a free-kick.

Osimhen replaced Simeone for the second half, and within six minutes of his introduction he had doubled Napoli’s lead with his fifth goal of the season, a header off the post from close range following Kvaratskhelia’s cross.

Gabriel Strefezza had the ball in the visitors’ net in the 57th minute with a close-range header but it was ruled out for handball in the build-up by Krstovic.

With a Champions League match against Real Madrid coming up on Tuesday, Garcia rotated his players, first replacing Lindstrom and Kvaratskhelia with Giacomo Raspadori and Politano.

Raspadori’s low left-foot shot was saved by Falcone in the 67th minute, before Jens-Lys Cajuste came on for Stanislav Lobotka with 14 minutes remaining.

Lecce could not find the breakthrough they needed to set up a tense finish and Napoli made it 3-0 when Gaetano, the last of their five substitutes to be introduced, increased the lead with two minutes remaining.

Less than five minutes after his introduction, the attacking midfielder fired home powerfully from the edge of the penalty box.

There was still time for a fourth goal, Politano sending Falcone the wrong way from the penalty spot after Ylber Ramadani had been penalised for fouling Gaetano.

Lecce manager Roberto D’Aversa will prepare his squad to face the “complete team” when Napoli come to the Stadio Via del Mare.

Napoli eased the pressure on under-fire boss Rudi Garcia with a 4-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday night, which puts the Serie A champions fifth in the table heading into the next round of fixtures.

Speculation over Garcia’s future, though, continues, with the French coach having ducked recent media duties amid reports of unrest within the camp and a bizarre video on TikTok which seemingly mocked striker Victor Osimhen following his penalty miss against Bologna.

 

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D’Aversa, though, is expecting nothing less than the sternest of tests from the Partenopei in Saturday’s afternoon kick-off.

“If I have to list them all (Napoli’s strengths), we would never end,” the Lecce boss told a press conference.

“They are Italian champions, they have a complete team with capable and quality players – Osimhen attacks from deep and is one of the best in Europe.

“On our part, there must be the will to put in a great performance.”

Lecce sit just a place behind Napoli, level on points, after losing their first Serie A game this season 1-0 at Juventus on Tuesday night.

D’Aversa will be without midfielder Mohamed Kaba through suspension after his late sending off and is set to rotate the squad.

“When there are three games a week you have to look for the player’s performance,” he said.

“In Turin, we didn’t have any turnover. We need to pay more attention to certain situations.

“(Lorenzo) Venuti and (Remi) Oudin are starters for me. It is clear that, where possible, there will be some changes tomorrow.”

Reports in Italy suggest Osimhen will not not pursue legal action against Napoli following the TikTok video.

After they face Lecce, Napoli host Real Madrid in the Champions League next week.

Forward Giovanni Simeone was on the scoresheet against Udinese and feels the squad can reset and push on into the season.

“Let’s start again from this victory,” the Argentinian said, quoted on the club’s official website. “We have worked a lot and collected little so far, but we know our value.

“We are a strong and united group. We are aware that two seasons cannot be repeated the same, but we are also sure that we have the spirit, mentality and quality to continue to be protagonists.”

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