Victor Osimhen continued his superb goal-scoring form to help Napoli produce one of the most comfortable football results of the weekend in the Champions League. The Nigerian forward scored his 10th goal in his previous eight outings in all competitions, putting the visitors ahead in the 40th minute after a spell of sustained pressure from the hosts. Osimhen had just struck the post, and teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had a penalty saved by Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp amid thunderous boos from the home crowd. Frankfurt began to push forward after Kvaratskhelia’s penalty miss, while the joyful crowd grew louder and the game became more chaotic. Hirving Lozano took advantage of the extra space, running down the right wing and crossing for an easy finish at the back post by Osimhen. A minute later, they repeated the maneuver, but this time the goal was chalked off for offside.
In the 65th minute, Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo finished a fantastic team play with a sweeping, curled shot inside the far post after Kvaratskhelia backheeled the ball into his path. Zambo, Andre-Frank With a weighted through ball, Anguissa had brought the Georgian in. Frankfurt’s hopes of launching a comeback were dealt a huge setback just minutes earlier when star forward Randal Kolo Muani was sent off for catching Anguissa with his open sole as both were chasing the ball. It means that the French forward will miss the second leg in Naples.
Napoli, which leads Serie A by 15 points, was frightened early on with uncharacteristic errors before Osimhen calmed the visitors. Frankfurt returns to Bundesliga action on Saturday, hosting fellow top-four contenders RB Leipzig at 2.30 p.m. The Germans will then travel to Wolfsburg on March 5 for a 4.30 p.m. kickoff. Napoli’s next Serie A match is against Empoli on Saturday at 5 p.m. The league leaders will then host Lazio in a Champions League qualifier on Friday, March 3 at 7.45 p.m.
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