Azerbaijani champions Qarabağ suffered a 2–0 defeat on the road against Italian side Napoli in UEFA Champions League Matchday 5, despite a resilient first half and a saved penalty.
The match at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium remained goalless at halftime, with Qarabağ goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski producing a crucial stop in the 56th minute to deny Napoli striker Rasmus Højlund from the penalty spot.
Second-half breakthrough for Napoli
Napoli finally opened the scoring in the 66th minute when Scott McTominay finished a well-worked move to put the hosts ahead.
Just six minutes later, Qarabağ’s Marko Janković inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net, doubling Napoli’s lead in the 72nd minute and sealing the result.
Lineups and context
The match featured strong lineups from both sides. Napoli, coached by Antonio Conte, fielded key names including Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, Lang, and Milinković-Savić.
Qarabağ, led by Gurban Gurbanov, started Kochalski, Mustafazade, Medina, Janković, Zubir, Andrade, Addei, and Durán among others.
What’s next
Qarabağ will host Ajax on December 10 in Baku, a crucial match as the club continues its campaign in the tournament’s overall stage.
After four rounds, Qarabağ entered the match with 7 points (15th place), while Napoli had 4 points (24th place).
