Real Madrid, which had already qualified for the round of 16 since the previous day, sealed first place in the group with a great victory at the Bernabéu against Napoli in a fierce match, played to the open, from power to power and with alternatives on the scoreboard. Champions in its purest form. Good football.
The whites, with up to eight casualties, received an early goal from Gio Simeone, Cholo’s son, who presented himself in a big way in Chamartín. That he played at the start was an unexpected decision by Mazarri because the Argentine sat Oshimen, who seemed to be the star of this Naples.
Madrid were not deterred by the goal they conceded after nine minutes in a lateral cross that Simeone scored and that Lunin narrowly missed. The answer came immediately, as soon as we got off center. Rodrygo pulled out an individual play out of his hat in which he went beyond several and ended with a shot into the top corner, a goal similar to the first one he scored in Cádiz.
Rodrygo’s thing goes in fits and starts. After scoring on the first day he entered a negative loop in which he failed to score in two months. Ancelotti kept his confidence in him and suddenly the goals came like magic. In the last three games he has five.
Napoli accused the blow. Tied without having been able to enjoy the advantage, he remained faithful to his style, with three lines very close together, playing in a space of thirty meters.
After Rodrygo’s goal the whites went into combustion. They played well, at times very well. At 22 minutes they took the lead with a cross from Alaba from the left and a header from Bellingham, who came in unmarked and put the ball where he wanted. There is no game that does not score. From then on to the break, Brahim had a couple of shots to extend the lead that did not go in because the man from Malaga had his aim slightly off. The first half ended with a scare for the Bernabéu, with Bellingham again injured on the wing due to a crash by an opponent who had injured his ankle. The Englishman was able to rejoin the game, to the relief of the Bernabéu, which already has him in the altars.
The second half started with Oshimen instead of Simeone and it couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for Madrid. After a minute of play, Naples tied. Anguissa shot, the ball bounced off Ceballos and fell again to the same player who hit it at the near post.
Ceballos reappeared after weeks injured and was not good at all. An innocent loss of his caused a two-for-one against Napoli that was not 2-3 due to Valverde’s miraculous recovery. Ancelotti immediately replaced him with Joselu, forcing Bellingham to delay his position. Then it was Nico Paz’s turn for Brahim, who had not had his night either. The departure of the Argentine youth squad would be providential.
The game seemed to have turned to Naples, but Madrid has its DNA in the Champions League, where it is of a different nature and once again drew strength from weakness where others falter. Meret prevented a Bellingham goal with his foot and Joselu sent it wide into an empty goal. Nico Paz solved it with a shot in the 83rd minute that made it 3-2. The youth player turned his debut in the Champions League into his personal celebration.
With Naples sunk, it would still be 4-2 already in added time, finally the work of Joselu after finishing off a Bellingham cross in another great play by the English brand of the house and who finished the game fresh as a rose, running without brakes. The Galician forward apologized to the stands, a Bernabéu delighted with his team.
