Napoli earned a 2-0 victory against Qarabağ in the UEFA Champions League on the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona's death. Scott McTominay scored the opener with a header in the 65th minute, followed by an own goal from Marko Jankovic seven minutes later. The result moves Napoli to 18th in the standings with seven points.
Napoli hosted Qarabağ at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League league phase on November 25, 2025. The match marked the fifth anniversary of club legend Diego Maradona's death, with fans chanting his name in the 10th minute to honor his shirt number.
The first half was goalless and largely uneventful, with Napoli's David Neres attempting a bicycle kick in the 35th minute that was saved by Qarabağ goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski. Qarabağ, who had previously beaten Benfica and drawn with Chelsea this season, focused on frustrating the hosts but created few clear chances.
In the 56th minute, Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was tripped in the box, earning a penalty. Rasmus Højlund, on loan from Manchester United, saw his effort saved by Kochalski diving to his left. Højlund, who had gone six games without scoring, apologized to the fans upon his substitution.
McTominay broke the deadlock in the 65th minute, heading home from close range after reacting to a save. Seven minutes later, his acrobatic effort was deflected into his own net by Qarabağ defender Marko Jankovic. Napoli created further opportunities, with Højlund heading wide from a corner and Neres hitting the crossbar.
The win boosts Napoli's knockout hopes, lifting them to 18th place with seven points from five matches. Qarabağ, also on seven points, drop to 16th. Napoli's next fixture is away to Benfica on December 10, while Qarabağ host Ajax the same day.
Starting line-ups were: Napoli - Vanja Milinković-Savić; Leo Beukema, Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Stanislav Lobotka, Scott McTominay, Mathías Olivera; David Neres, Romelu Lukaku (wait, sources say Lang? Wait, UEFA says Lang; but BBC implies Højlund played), Rasmus Højlund. Qarabağ - Mateusz Kochalski; Badavi Huseynli? Wait, sources: Kochalski; Silva, Mustafazade, Medina, Jafarguliyev; Pedro Bicalho, Janković; Leandro Andrade, Zoubir, Addai; Duran.
