Frankfurt eliminated from Europe after second Napoli blanking
Amid some skirmishes between rival fan groups in the city, Serie A hosts S.S.C. Napoli were able to make short work of Eintracht Frankfurt on the pitch Wednesday evening.
Luciano Spalletti's Serie A leaders completed a second clean-sheet against Oliver Glasner's squad. Eintracht are thus eliminated from Europe 0-5 on aggregate.
Luciano Spalletti's Serie A leaders completed a second clean-sheet against Oliver Glasner's squad. Eintracht are thus eliminated from Europe 0-5 on aggregate.
| Oliver Glasner. | Photo: Steindy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
The specter of the controversial decision by the Italian Interior Ministry to bar traveling Eintracht Frankfurt supporters from the match loomed large prior to kickoff. As expected, a temporary injunction granted to Eintracht against the exclusion was overturned by the prefecture of Naples before the weekend was out. This did not stop SGE fans from traveling to Naples anyway.
A group of Eintracht ultras numbering around 500 arrived in the city and were taken to their hotel via police escort. Neapolitan authorities reported that the bus ferrying the SGE fans was assaulted with pyrotechnics by Napoli supporters. A group of Eintracht supporters, according to the local police, numbering around 250 marched through the city in protest of the ruling. There were skirmishes.
On the pitch, SGE trainer Oliver Glasner made three changes to the XI that drew Stuttgart on Saturday. Ansgar Knauff and Christopher Lenz replaced Philipp Max and Makoto Hasebe. Daichi Kamada was rotated into the lineup in place of the suspended Randal Kolo Muani. As a result of the changes, Glasner made a rare change to his usual tactical system. Kamada and Knauff worked the wings. Mario Götze supported Rafael Santos Borré in a 4-4-1-1.
The two sides mostly neutralized one another throughout the opening half. The German guests didn't appear to play like a team down 0-2 on aggregate. Their Italian hosts proved slightly more compelling. SSC attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia produced the first real chance 22 minutes in with a spectacular dribble. Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp was able to place himself in position before the Georgian made his final move. Kvaratskhelia tested Trapp again in the 43rd.
Victor Osimen opened the scoring with a header-in of a Matteo Politano cross at 45+2. Coming at the stroke of half-time, the tally had a backbreaker feel to it. Sure enough, Osihmen was able to complete a brace eight minutes after the restart. Politano was once again vital in the play, putting captain Matteo di Lorenzo through to the baseline. Osimhen had an easy finish on di Lorenzo's cutback across the face of goal.
Djibril Sow would then gift the hosts a penalty in the 64th with a takedown of Piotr Zielinski in the box. Zielinski finished from the spot to give I Partenopei a 5-0 lead on aggregate. The RheinMain Adler understandably pulled back in the aftermath. There was no further danger furnished by the German guests.
