Naples: Liverpool have a long way to go to regain the form that took them to the final of last season’s Champions League.
Napoli overwhelmed the English powerhouse with three first-half goals in a 4-1 win in the opening round of group play on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).
Piotr Zielinski converted a penalty, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa doubled the lead after the half-hour mark and substitute Giovanni Simeone — the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone — scored on his competition debut just before the break.
Zielinski added another two minutes after the break before Luis Diaz finally pulled one back for Liverpool on a counter-attack in the 49th.
Liverpool have now failed to win all four of their visits to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, while manager Juergen Klopp dropped to 0-4 in his career in Naples. Klopp was sent off during a loss while coaching Borussia Dortmund in 2013, then was at the helm for Liverpool defeats in 2018 and 2019.
Ajax beat Rangers 4-0 in the other Group A match earlier.
Liverpool’s indifferent start to the 2022/23 campaign continued in Napoli.Credit:AP
Liverpool have started the Premier League season with just two wins from six games. Napoli are unbeaten in five Serie A matches and lead the league with 12 goals scored despite the off-season departures of captain Lorenzo Insigne, all-time leading scorer Dries Mertens and defensive stalwart Kalidou Koulibaly.
The recent form of the two teams held as Napoli got off to a blistering start.
In the opening minute, Victor Osimhen beat Liverpool’s offside trap and dribbled around goalkeeper Alisson before striking a shot off the outside of the post from a sharp angle.
Four minutes later, Zielinski sent Alisson the wrong way with his spot kick after Liverpool captain James Milner deflected a shot from the Poland midfielder with his arm.
Champions League matchday 1 results
Thursday (AEST):
- Ajax 4 Rangers 0
- Eintracht Frankfurt 0 Sporting Lisbon 3
- Inter Milan 0 Bayern Munich 2
- Barcelona 5 Viktoria Plzen 1
- Napoli 4 Liverpool 1
- Atletico Madrid 2 Porto 1
- Tottenham 2 Marseille 0
- Club Brugge 1 Bayer Leverkusen 0
Wednesday (AEST):
- Dinamo Zagreb 1 Chelsea 0
- Borussia Dortmund 3 Copenhagen 0
- Benfica 2 Maccabi Haifa 0
- Sevilla 0 Manchester City 4
- RB Salzburg 1 AC Milan 1
- Celtic 0 Real Madrid 3
- RB Leipzig 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 4
- PSG 2 Juventus 1
Osimhen then won another penalty after Virgil van Dijk stepped on his boot, but Alisson blocked the ensuing spot kick from the Nigeria centre-forward.
Zielinski turned provider for Zambo Anguissa, who finished off a give-and-take with the Pole to make it 2-0.
Simeone, who had come on for an aching Osimhen, tapped in a cross from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the 21-year-old Georgia winger who has been tearing up Serie A with four goals in five matches. Kvaratskhelia dribbled by two players on the left flank before setting up Simeone perfectly.
Zielinski’s second came on a rebound of his own shot after Alisson failed to collect.
Giovanni Simeone celebrates after making it 3-0 for Napoli.Credit:Getty
Liverpool, who lost last season’s final 1-0 to Real Madrid, is sorely missing departed forward Sadio Mane, who transferred to Bayern Munich. Injuries are also hitting hard in central midfield, while fourth-choice Joe Gomez looked rusty at centre-back.
Mane’s new side beat Inter Milan 2-0 away in their Group C opener thanks to a Leroy Sane strike and an own goal.
Germany international Sane superbly controlled a pinpoint Joshua Kimmich cross before rounding Inter keeper Andre Onana, who was making his debut for the club, to give Bayern the lead in the 25th minute.
Sane also deserves credit for their second goal after dismantling the Inter defence with a lightning-quick double one-two with Kingsley Coman in the 66th before his shot was turned into the net by Inter captain Danilo D’Ambrosio.
Leroy Sane was the hero for six-time champions Bayern.Credit:AP
Bayern, who bounced back following two consecutive draws in the Bundesliga, host Barcelona next week, while Inter, who have now lost their last two matches following their derby defeat by AC Milan on Saturday, take on Viktoria Plzen in the other group match.
The German champions shot out of the blocks and would have taken an early lead were it not for Onana who denied Thomas Mueller twice as well as Kimmich.
But he was beaten by Sane’s first touch and clinical finish as Bayern took a deserved lead.
Cameroon international Onana, who replaced Samir Handanovic, came to the rescue once more in the 37th minute, punching an Alphonso Davies wide before Marcel Sabitzer’s rebound whizzed just wide.
The hosts recovered after the break and both Edin Dzeko and D’Ambrosio had chances but Bayern’s win never looked in doubt after they added another through D’Ambrosio’s own goal.
Inter’s frustration was complete when Joaquin Correa benefited from a Bayern mistake but his shot, with only Neuer to beat, narrowly missed the target seven minutes from time.
