October 3, Naples (Reuters) Real Madrid defeated Napoli 3-2 in Champions League Group C on Tuesday. A terrible own goal by Italian goalkeeper Alex Meret gave Spain the lead late in the second half.
In the first half, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. for Real Madrid negated Napoli’s Leo Ostigard‘s header, but Piotr Zielinski‘s penalty kick early in the second half leveled the score.
In the 78th minute, Federico Valverde’s long-range shot for Real Madrid hit Meret’s head, rebounding into his own goal and setting up the victory.
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Real, which has won two of three, leads Group C by three points over Braga and Napoli. Union Berlin ranks last with nil points.
Real Madrid started the game well, with Vinicius and Bellingham pestering the home team’s defense. There were some nervous moments late on.
Vinicius played in his second game after a month-long leg injury. His attractive looks and diligent surveillance of Bellingham strengthened their bond from the start of the season.
Napoli took the lead in the nineteenth minute with Ostigard’s header. Both teams had chances early on. Real Madrid’s Kepa Arrizabalaga mishandled a corner clearance into a congested six-yard box.
The visitors gained momentum as Vinicius and Bellingham scored in the first seven minutes.
In the 27th minute, Bellingham blocked a hospital pass for Giovanni Di Lorenzo outside Napoli’s penalty area. Vinicius immediately connected with Bellingham and finished with a fantastic angled shot into the far corner.
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Bellingham took Real Madrid’s lead in the 34th minute by running past three Napoli defenders and shooting into the goalkeeper’s bottom left corner.
Napoli reclaimed the lead early in the second half and equalized in the 54th minute when Zielinski’s penalty kick was awarded for Nacho’s handball.
The ball looked to ricochet off Nacho’s boot and hit his left hand as he challenged, but referee Clement Turpin first denied the penalty. The ruling upset Carlo Ancelotti and the Real Madrid players, who protested.
No, fine, I think. Ancelotti told Movistar Plus, “You can’t just cut off the player’s hand; it’s a rebound from his foot.”
In a packed Diego Maradona stadium, the home team made a valiant effort to win and came close three times thanks to Arrizabalaga’s saves on Victor Osimhen’s close-range shots and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s missed shot.
However, Real Madrid’s veteran midfielder, Luka Modric, came off the bench late to excite the club.
He gave Bellingham a simple close-range shot in the 75th minute, which he missed.
Valverde’s corner kick rebounded off Meret’s head and into the net after three minutes.
“Modric excelled. His skill and experience provided us with more control, taking over the game when we needed it, “Ancelotti stated.
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