Napoli striker Viktor Osimhen struck either side of the break to send the Italians into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time with a comfortable 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Nigerian scored a header in first-half extra time in Germany’s 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Osimhen scored his 23rd goal in 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring after a quick four-pass combination for Napoli before Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty in the 53rd minute to secure a 5-0 aggregate win.
“Napoli” is the third Italian team after “Inter” and “Milan”.
“It wasn’t easy, but we achieved a historic goal for Napoli,” said coach Luciano Spalletti. “I hope we can enjoy it now with the whole team and the fans.”
“The attitude we had tonight is important. We didn’t have that much quality at the start, but we worked well and didn’t concede.”
“Osimhen is a very strong football player. He can cut behind the defenders, and now he plays more with the team, we are happy.”
Riots erupted in the Italian city before the game, with fans burning a police car and throwing rocks at buses and police.
Italian authorities banned German fans from attending the game over concerns of possible violence, but some Eintracht fans traveled to Italy anyway.
The inside of the Diego Maradona Stadium was quiet and the hosts were in control from the start.
In the 19th minute, Khvica Kvaratzhelia was very close to the area, and in the 43rd minute, Georgian goalkeeper Kevin Trapp saved the winger’s close-range shot.
Osimhen opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time as Matteo Politano gave the ball too much space in the box to go high.
That meant Europa League champions Frankfurt needed three goals, but they struggled against a well-prepared Napoli defense without two of their best strikers – Randal Kolo Muani and the injured Jesper Lindstrom.
They were also under pressure from Napoli’s relentless pressing game and once again it was Osimhen who scored. He became the first Napoli player to score in two Champions League play-off matches, scoring from close range to snuff out Germany’s hopes of a comeback.
“We were able to keep up with them in parts of the game,” Frankfurt captain Sebastian Rode said. “But we lost the ball before the goals and that broke us. “We lacked a shot in the last third of the pitch.”
The Serie A leaders made it a fine two-legged display with Zielinski’s penalty after the Pole was brought down in the box.
