Napoli stumbled dramatically in the sixth matchday of the Champions League, overwhelmed in Lisbon by a Benfica side coached by José Mourinho, who imposed pace, intensity and clarity from the first quarter of an hour.
After a period of deliberation, the Portuguese struck their first goal with a quick Sudakov–Aursnes–Ivanovic combination, blocked only by Milinkovic-Savic, while Aursnes's subsequent attempt went just wide. The game broke down in the twentieth minute, when Rios completed a sustained offensive push and punished an already struggling Napoli side, after a mistake by the Italian goalkeeper had presented Aursnes with a glaring opportunity that he badly squandered.
Conte's men tried to shake things up in the 27th minute with a Lang effort that missed the target, followed by a Di Lorenzo header that gave them only a fleeting glimpse. At the other end, Otamendi nearly doubled the lead with an overhead kick just before halftime, but Buongiorno saved, leaving the Azzurri hanging on to hope.
The second half broke things up almost immediately: Barreiro created a high-quality goal to make it 2-0, definitively turning the tables on the match. Benfica, now in control of the pitch, continued to push forward with ease and came close to scoring a third in the 87th minute through Pavlidis, while Napoli struggled even to get past the halfway line in an orderly fashion. Seven minutes of injury time served only to confirm a night to forget, in which the Azzurri appeared fragile, slow, and incapable of sustaining the pressure.
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