Remembering five of Napoli’s greatest nights in European football

It’s hard to believe that Napoli were in the third tier of Italian football 17 years ago yet have played in European competitions for 13 of the past 14 seasons. Their run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season is their most exciting achievement since Diego Maradona lifted the Uefa Cup in 1989. They pulled off a dramatic comeback against Italian opponents on their way to reaching that final and will have to do the same if they want to progress any further this year. Milan have a 1-0 lead after the first leg of their quarter-final but, as Napoli’s history shows, the magic often happens at home.

Napoli 3-1 Chelsea, Champions League last 16, 2012

In their first season in the Champions League, Napoli beat Villarreal and Manchester City to finish second behind Bayern Munich in their group, setting up a last-16 tie against Chelsea. The first leg of the tie would have a big impact on both clubs.

Napoli started the match brilliantly and could have taken the lead on a number of occasions but Paolo Cannavaro’s mistake allowed Juan Mata to put the visitors in front midway through the first half. Napoli could have folded but Walter Mazzarri’s side rallied to win the game 3-1. They put on a display that characterised his approach to the game; it was fast, dazzling and dramatic.

Ezequiel Lavezzi scored the equaliser, firing home from 25 yards out. Then came Edinson Cavani, shouldering home a cross from Gökhan Inler to give Napoli the lead just before half-time. The two goalscorers combined for the third. Napoli centre-back Hugo Campagnaro played a hopeful ball forward to Cavani, who battled past his man and set up Lavezzi to score past the despairing Petr Cech. Napoli’s speed and ability to hurt teams on the counterattack were on full display, with the wing-back Christian Maggio denied a fourth only by a desperate goalline clearance.

Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring Napoli’s second goal. Photograph: Prima Pagina/EPA

That fourth goal would have been useful come the second leg. Chelsea sacked manager André Villas-Boas before the return fixture and, with something to prove to the caretaker boss, Roberto Di Matteo, the players were inspired in London, winning 4-1 to book their place in the semi-finals.

Chelsea went on to win the Champions League that season, which shows just how good a performance Napoli had put in at home. The tie did not go their way but that win gave the side confidence. They were determined to prove that the south would rise again.

Ezequiel Lavezzi scores past Petr Cech as Napoli beat Chelsea 3-1. Photograph: Giampiero Sposito/ReutersNapoli 3-0 Juventus, Uefa Cup quarter-final, 1989

Napoli were 2-0 down after the first leg of their Uefa Cup quarter-final and it looked as if Michael Laudrup had won the tie for Juventus when he put the ball in the net after two minutes in the second leg. Fortunately for Napoli, the goal was disallowed for offside.

Given a lifeline by the officials, Maradona kickstarted the comeback, scoring the first from the penalty spot after Careca went down in the box. Andrea Carnevale scored the second from 20 yards out to level the tie on aggregate. The tension hung thick over the San Paolo, especially with Maradona constantly rubbing his knee. He was substituted five minutes into extra-time and penalties seemed inevitable.

Then Careca, often the unsung hero in those days, rescued his side once more, lofting a perfect cross to Alessandro Renica. His 119th-minute header won the tie for Napoli, capping off their most dramatic match in Europe. They beat Bayern Munich 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals to set up a final against Stuttgart.

Stuttgart 3-3 Napoli, Uefa Cup final, 1989

Napoli’s best European night (before 2023 anyway) was when they won the Uefa Cup in 1989. The final was played over two legs, with Napoli taking a 2-1 lead to Germany thanks to goals from Maradona and Careca in Naples.

They glided on to the pitch in Stuttgart behind their short little deity, looking confident in their light blue shirts and little white shorts. Alemão put the Neapolitan side ahead inside 20 minutes, giving them a 3-1 lead on aggregate. It should have been comfortable but the rest of the night proved terrifying for the 20,000 visiting fans.

An error from Napoli keeper Giuliano Giuliani allowed Jürgen Klinsmann to pull a goal back for Stuttgart. A furious back-and-forth ensued. Napoli scored again to restore their two-goal lead in the tie, Maradona heading the ball across the box for Ciro Ferrara to volley home. After a back and forth with Maradona, Careca executed a perfectly chipped goal to extend Napoli’s lead and give them some breathing room.

But Stuttgart would not go away. The travelling Napoli supporters knew their team would not do it the easy way. With 20 minutes to go, Fernando De Napoli put the ball into his own net. When De Napoli made another howler of a mistake in the 89th minute, Olaf Schmäler capitalised to make it 3-3 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate. Napoli closed ranks. A few nerve-racking minutes later, Maradona lifted the club’s first major European trophy. Back home, Naples erupted.

Careca lifts the ball over the Stuttgart goalkeeper Eike Immel to score Napoli’s third goal against Stuttgart. Photograph: DPA/PABasel 2-4 Napoli, Coppa delle Alpi, 1966

Say what now? The Alpine Cup? The tournament began as a pre-season friendly for Italian sides before expanding to include Swiss clubs when someone realised most of the Alps lay in that country.

This was an exciting time for Napoli. They were promoted from Serie B in 1965 and finished third in the top flight in 1965-66. The squad featured the famous duo of Omar Sívori and José Altafini, playing under the legendary Bruno Pesaola. The “Fantastic Duo” would go on to lead Napoli to what was at the time their best league finish, runners-up in 1967-68.

Napoli beat all four sides they faced in the Alpine Cup, scoring 15 goals. They put on a show against Basel, who would go on to win the double in Switzerland that season. Altafini – a World Cup winner with Brazil before he started representing Italy – scored a hat-trick, with Vincenzo Montefusco adding a fourth before Basel scored two late consolation goals.

Sívori, foreshadowing the on-field dustup in 1968 that led to him leaving the club prematurely, decided to just walk off the pitch in the 87th minute. This match set the tone for much of Napoli’s history. They secured a trophy but the victory came with off-field drama and helped establish a precedent of their star players leaving at the worst possible time.

Napoli 4-1 Liverpool, Champions League group, 2022Napoli players celebrate after going 4-0 up against Liverpool in September 2022. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Naples is dangerous. That, in a nutshell, is what the Liverpool press office told fans preparing to visit the city earlier this season for their match in the group stage of the Champions League. Stay in your hotel, don’t wear your colours and don’t engage. It turns out the press officers knew what they were talking about: Naples was extremely dangerous to the visitors on the pitch.

Napoli took the lead within five minutes, Piotr Zielinski converting a penalty brought about by James Milner’s careless hands. A second penalty, saved by Alisson, just fired up Napoli, who could have easily been ahead 5-0 by the time André-Frank Zambo Anguissa scored their second. The third was all about the celebration, Giovanni Simeone – the player who had tattooed the Champions League logo on his arm at the age of 13 – collapsing to the ground overcome by emotion after he scored on his first game in the competition. Zielinski scored his second in the second minute of the second half, making it 4-0 to Napoli.

The hosts ran circles around the previous year’s finalists, slicing them apart, turning them inside out and leaving them on their backsides. It was the first real glimpse of what would turn out to be a magical season for Luciano Spalletti’s enthralling young side.

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