This was Napoli’s first ever Champions League match at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples. Last time the Partenopei competed in Europe’s premier competition was in 1990, when they lost on penalties to Spartak Moscow in round two of the European Cup.

Starting XI lineups

Napoli – De Sanctis, Aronica, Cannavaro, Campagnaro, Gargano, Inler, Gargano, Dossena Zuniga, Hamsik, Lavezzi, Cavani

Villarreal – Lopez, Mario, Zapata, Muscacchio, Catala, Senna, Bruno, Cani, Camunas, De Guzman, Nilmar

Minute by Minute playback of the match

Full-time NAPOLI 2-0 VILLARREAL, and Napoli secure their first win in Europe’s premier competition after a 21 year absence, well deserved indeed! The Partenopei defended well in the second half, and although Villarreal may point to a couple of penalty decisions, they failed to create any great chances throughout the 90 minutes.
90+3′ There are 4 minutes of added on time, De Sanctis has the ball in his hands.
90+2′ From the free kick Napoli try and hold the ball in the corner before Mascara is adjudged to foul Zapata.
90+1′ Mascara wins a free kick right by the corner flag in Villarreal’s half.
90′ The corner is too close to De Sanctis who collects well.
89′ Sub Perez has made a difference. His zigzag run down the right wins another corner for Villarreal.
88′ Napoli make their third and final sub. Lavezzi is replaced by Santana. Villarreal have also made a double sub, Wakaso and Perez on for De Guzman and Senna.
87′ Musacchio heads the corner well over.
86′ A deflected Rossi shot wins a corner for Villarreal.
85′ The game has become ‘bitty’ with both teams conceding fouls.
83′ Napoli break before Inler is cynically fouled by Rossi. A challenge that signals his frustration with tonight’s action. Cani is also booked for protesting the penalty decision against Nilmar.
81′ Villarreal appeal for a penalty as Nilmar is hit from behind by Zuniga. The referee signals that the Colombian won the ball. They’ve been given before though.
80′ Napoli enjoy a brief spell of possession before Zuniga miss places a pass.
79′ Villarreal continue to press, but Cannavaro has been a rock in the Napoli defence as he headers clear another Villarreal cross.
78′ Napoli take off their other goal scorer. As Hamsik is replaced by Mascara, as the pressure mounts on the home side.
76′ Zapata finds himself unmarked on the right of the Napoli area, his pull back finds Rossi whose first first time shot is blocked, the rebound comes to Nilmar who tries an acrabatic kick but slices it wide.
75′ Rossi tries to play Nilmar through in the Napoli area, but an outstretched Cannavaro just cuts out the pass. The yellows are building pressure though.
74′ Nilmar finds space down the left inside the Napoli area, he cuts back onto his right foot, but blazes his shot high and wide.
73′ The free kick is again hit straight into the wall by De Guzman.
72′ Rossi again wins a free kick on the edge of the area. Turning Cannavaro before he is pulled back. The already booked Cannavaro can consider himself lucky to escape a second yellow.
70′ Napoli make a sub. Cavani limping off to be replaced by Pandev.
69′ Zuniga hits a shot from the edge of the Villarreal area, that is well blocked by Musacchio.
67′ Villarreal are trying to get forward at every opportunity, but Napoli are defending well.
65′ Really good chance for Napoli! Hamsik plays Cavani clean through, but with the goal at his mercy the Uruguayan poorly miss controls the ball behind him. The striker then goes down like a sack of potatoes under a fair challenge from the recovering Zapata. he stays on the floor for a minute, probably to hide his embarrassment of messing up a great opportunity to put Napoli 3-0 up.
63′ Cani hits a shot from 25 yards out, Rossi does well to control it (it was going well wide), but the striker is then adjudged to have hand balled it, when trying to beat the Cannavaro.
62′ Cavani plays a delicate lofted ball over the top of the Villarreal defence, but the onrushing Hamsik is deemed marginally offside.
60′ Lavezzi has gone down clutching his left leg and is currently receiving treatment off the field.
58′ From the block Lavezzi is sent free, but he miss controls as he bears down on goal and Lopez can easily collect.
57′ The free kick is hit by Cani into a suspiciously fast onrushing wall.
56′ Very almost a penalty to Villarreal. Rossi beautifully dinks the ball past Cannavaro (Very Bergkamp-esque), and the Italian defender obstructs the striker as he tries to rush onto his own ball. A free kick is given right on the edge of the area, replays show it was about an inch away from being a penalty.
55′ Villarreal seem more up for it this half. They are enjoying lots more possession.
54′ The game is being played at a frantic pace, which should suit Villarreal. Mazzarri will want his team to calm things down if they can.
53′ End to end start to the second half.
52′ Zuniga beats a couple of challenges down the right, but his cut back is easily intercepted by Senna, when he should have done better.
51′ First chance of the half, and it falls to Villarreal and that man Rossi. Substitute Camunas cuts in from the left and whips in a dangerous right footed cross, Rossi leaps well, but his header is too close to De Sanctis who does well to gather the ball above his head.
50′ Lavezzi throws in a couple of step overs and gets to the bye line, but his near post cross goes straight into the hands of Lopez.
49′ De Guzman decides to go for goal, when crossing seemed to be the better option. His right footed in-swinging shot from the left goes harmlessly over.
48′ Rossi scampers down the left, before being hacked down by Cannavaro. Free kick to Villarreal deep in the Napoli half in a dangerous position……
47′ Hamsik plays Cavani clean through but the Uruguayan is marginally offside.
46′ Napoli get the second half underway.

Half time at the Stadio San Paolo and it’s the Italians that deservedly lead 2-0. Napoli were faster out the blocks in the earlier stages of the first half, against what looked like a very sleepy Villarreal. The yellows showed signs of a revival late on, but it will be an uphill task in the second half against a stubborn Partenopei defence.

45′ Rossi is at the heart of all the Villarreal attacks, but it just isn’t going for him today as he is tackled well again on the edge of the Napoli area.
43′ The third corner is eventually well headed away by Cannavaro.
43′ Villarreal up the anti and win a succession of corners.
42′ Dossena’s free kick comes to nothing as Lavezzi is offside.
41′ Aronica is scythed down by Senna midway inside the Villarreal half.
40′ Zuniga puts in a dangerous low cross from the right, it almost breaks to Cavani, before Musacchio can scrap it away.
39′ Napoli are quite happy to try and soak up pressure from Villarreal before launching counter attacks at the moment.
37′ Napoli keep trying to play the ball in behind the yellows, but are often getting caught offside. It’s a dangerous game Villarreal are playing.
35′ Villarreal get frustrated with the referee. Rossi goes down on the edge of the Napoli area, but Cannavaro is adjudged to have won the ball, much to the strikers annoyance.
34′ Rossi tries to make up for his earlier miss, by creating a chance all by himself. On the edge of the area he flicks aball over one defender but then miss hits a shot tamely wide. Not his day so far.
32′ Camunas is on for the already booked Gonzalo…..He had been struggling to deal with Lavezzi.
31′ Cavani in an unfamiliar position to him, at left back, almost gifts a goal to Villarreal. He plays an attempted back pass to De Sanctis, but instead plays Rossi clean through. But the Italian striker uncharacteristically skews a first time shot horribly wide. Really good chance though.
30′ Napoli play it around across their back five, keeping possession well.
27′ From the throw out (from De Sanctis) Napoli break fast. Cavani is sent scampering through on goal. This time Lopez is alert to the danger and is able to collect at the feet of the Uruguayan.
26′ Zapata is played in down the right and his pull back finds Rossi on the edge of the area finds Rossi, but the Italian strikers first time shot is straight at De Sanctis who gathers well.
25′ Despite their last two results, Napoli look full of confidence.
24′ The yellows are trying to relieve the pressure by keeping possession, but the Partenopei are really up for this game, allowing very little time on the ball for each of the Villarreal players.
23′ Napoli are not letting Villarreal sit on the ball. Pressuring the Spanish side well up the field.
20′ Villarreal look wide open at the back. If the game continues in this fashion, Napoli could inflict a scoreline worse than Barcalona did (Villarreal lost 5-0 earlier this year to the European champions).
18′ Villarreal try and come straight back at Napoli, but just when Rossi looks like he’s broken the Napoli back line, Cannavaro makes a superb last ditch sliding tackle.
17′ Gonzalo was rightly booked for his attempted tackle for the penalty.
16′ Cavani sends Lopez the wrong way, to make put NAPOLI 2-0 UP! What a start by the Champions League debutants.
15′ PENALTY TO NAPOLI! Gonzalo brings down Lazezzi on the left hand side of the penalty area, when the Argintian had burst through. Poor challenge.
14′ Hamsik opens the scoring. An in-swinging cross from the right by Lavezzi finds Hamsik in the area with all the time in the world to control and volley low past Lopez. Great finish, terrible defending.Talking of which…….
13′ Lavezzi, Cavani and Hamsik all look dangerous. Maybe all the crisis talk has done them some good.
12′ Napoli beginning to get an early strangle hold of this game.
10′ Napoli come closest to scoring first. Cavani cuts inside from the left, his shot is blocked, but it falls to Lavezzi who cleverly hits a first time volley just inches wide of Lopez’s left hand post.
8′ End to end stuff in Naples. Hamsik is set free down the right but over hits a cross. Then Rossi cuts inside from the left to hit a shot which is well blocked by the Napoli defence.
7′ Villarreal break again, Rossi this time is well tackled by Aronica, the ball falls to De Guzman but he lashes his first time shot well over.
6′ Aronica was booked for the earlier shirt pull on Nilmar. It was cynical and deserved.
5′ The free kick is smashed in by Rossi, pinball in the Napoli box ensues, before it falls to Zapata who slashes his shot wide.
4′ Villarreal break fast down the left, but Nilmar is pulled back by a Napoli defender. Free kick 35 yards out.
3′ Inler unleashes a shot from the edge of the area that is deflected towards Lavezzi, luckily the spin on the ball fools the striker and Villarreal clear.
2 Napoli enjoy some early possession before a long ball is played just behind Cavani and is easily collected by Lopez.
1 Villarreal get us underway in a smokey Stadio San Paolo. Obviously been a few pre match flares lit.

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