Napoli endured a painful 3-1 loss against Villarreal in the Champions League after letting an early advantage slip away, with Amir Rrahmani scoring first before Matteo Politano’s expensive back-pass shifted momentum toward the home side.
The Partenopei had aimed to carry momentum from their 3-0 Serie A triumph over Frosinone, but defensive blunders and wasted chances proved costly. Santiago Mourino gave Villarreal the lead with a magnificent long-distance effort before Tani Oluwaseyi wrapped up the result late in the match.
Napoli team news and Champions League pressure
Napoli came into the fixture seeking to bounce back from their 1-0 home loss to Arsenal in their opening Champions League match. Scott McTominay was restored to the starting eleven for the first time in five weeks following heart surgery to fix a mild benign arrhythmia.
Giovane was added to Napoli’s UEFA list and was instantly given a spot in the starting lineup. However, the Italian club was missing Frank Anguissa, Mathias Olivera, Antonio Vergara, Alisson Santos, Costantino Favasuli, and Alessandro Buongiorno.
Villarreal also required a reaction in Europe after falling 3-2 to Borussia Dortmund. The Spanish outfit, who were 11th in LaLiga before kick-off, were without the injured Nicolas Pepe and former Inter midfielder Tajon Buchanan.
Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was anticipated to start but pulled out of the squad after it came to light that his home had been targeted in an armed robbery late the previous night, with his family present.
Amir Rrahmani gives Napoli the lead
Napoli started brightly, with Renato Veiga stretching fully to stop Giovane’s pass from reaching Rasmus Hojlund. The visitors quickly found a breakthrough from a set-piece routine involving Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour.
De Bruyne took a short corner before Gilmour sent the ball toward the far post. Rrahmani jumped to meet it, and although his header was remarkably pushed onto the underside of the crossbar, the Napoli defender reacted swiftly to convert the rebound.
Villarreal responded with growing urgency. Georges Mikautadze appeared ready to equalise from just inside the penalty area, only for Benoit Badiashile to produce a desperate deflection. Pape Gueye then came close from the resulting corner, sending his attempt narrowly wide.
Napoli nearly doubled their lead when Hojlund met a cross from Politano with a header that struck the frame of the goal. That missed chance proved especially costly as Villarreal hit back almost instantly.
Matteo Politano’s error sparks Villarreal comeback
Within moments of Hojlund hitting the woodwork, Politano played a catastrophic back-pass that Mikautadze intercepted. The Villarreal forward drew goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic off his line before finishing from an extremely tight angle into the empty net.
The equaliser changed the complexion of the contest, and Villarreal soon completed their turnaround. Santiago Mourino unleashed a spectacular long-range effort that flew beyond Milinkovic-Savic’s fingertips to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Napoli continued to threaten before half-time, with McTominay missing the target with a free header. Both Mikautadze and Politano also featured in dangerous counter-attacking moves as the game remained open.
After the restart, Luiz Junior rushed off his line to prevent Gilmour’s through ball from reaching Hojlund. Badiashile also produced an important interception to deny Napoli a close-range opportunity, helping Villarreal preserve their advantage.
Napoli struggles as Tani Oluwaseyi seals victory
Napoli found it difficult to break through Villarreal’s defence in the second half and failed to capitalise on a brief spell when the hosts were reduced to nine men under the new delayed-substitution rules.
Hojlund had opportunities to change the outcome but could not convert them. After Luiz Junior fumbled a free-kick, the striker volleyed the rebound onto his own face. He later dribbled past three defenders but took the ball into an angle too narrow to finish effectively.
De Bruyne attempted to create another opening with a cross towards the far post, which grazed both Lorenzo Lucca’s head and Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s studs. Napoli could not turn the delivery into a goal, and Villarreal eventually delivered the decisive blow.
Nathan Saliba found Ayoze Perez with a pass, and although Perez’s heavy first touch was unintended, it left the ball perfectly placed for Tani Oluwaseyi. The forward swept home with relatively little pressure to complete Villarreal’s 3-1 victory and leave Napoli with another setback in the Champions League.