Napoli rise to the occasion in 2-0 Champions League win over Frankfurt

Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani, right, and Napoli defender Kim Min-jae vie for the ball during a UEFA Champions League round of 16 match in Frankfurt, Germany on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Napoli cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win in the away leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash with Frankfurt on Tuesday, continuing to look like the team to beat in the tournament despite never having actually passed this point before.

The Partenopei’s 2-0 win at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany marked the first time that the Italian club has ever won an away fixture in the knockout stage of the Champions League. That they did it with such ease only goes to underscore that this is a Napoli the likes of which we have never seen before.

Calm, confident control once again one the day for Napoli, with the constant pressing of Victor Osimhen, Hirving Lozano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia overpowering the home side. Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo added a goal apiece and Kvaratskhelia ought to have added one more from the penalty spot.

It was not always Napoli’s game. Frankfurt started stronger, briefly catching Napoli wrong-footed with Randal Kolo Muani taking an early attempt on goal. It did not take the Partenopei long to click into gear, however, with the same slick performance that has them on a seven-game winning streak in Serie A quickly on display.

Osimhen’s goal put Napoli up at the end of the first half, and that lead suddenly seemed a lot safer in the 58th minute when Kolo Muani was sent off for a poorly-timed challenge on André-Frank Zambo Anguissa.

Napoli’s second goal came seven minutes later from the head of Di Lorenzo, putting the score out of reach for the German side.

Korean center-back Kim Min-jae played the full 90 minutes, receiving a yellow card for a clumsy tackle on Kolo Muani in the first half.

Napoli’s comfortable win over Frankfurt comes as little surprise considering the club’s dominant performance this season.

Napoli have lost three games so far this season across all competitions; one in Serie A, one in the Champions League and one in the Coppa Italia.

In the league, Napoli sit 15 points clear in first place on 62 points with 20 wins, two draws and one loss. Inter Milan, in second place, have racked up six losses so far and it would take a truly spectacular collapse from Napoli for the Milan club to any threat whatsoever over the rest of the season.

In the Champions League, Napoli lost one group stage game to Liverpool 2-0, but only after they were already unassailably at the top of the group with a massive plus 14 goal difference.

The one blip on the record is the Coppa Italia, where the Partenopei made an unexpected exit after losing on penalties to Cremonese in the round of 16. That loss might have been an uncharacteristic from the typically humble Luciano Spalletti, who fielded a far weaker side than normal for the cup tie.

On Tuesday, Spalletti was back to his typical unpresuming ways.

"It was an end-to-end game, which we want and thrive in, Spalletti said after the game. “We need to stay calm, very calm.

"There's the second leg still. Our biggest enemy is to think it's done.”

Napoli have a few weeks to wait before they have to worry about their second tie, however, with Frankfurt set to visit Naples on March 15.

In the meantime, Napoli will be back in action in Serie A this weekend as they take on 12th-place Empoli on the road on Saturday. Some potentially tougher challenges follow over the coming weeks, with fifth-place Lazio next week and sixth-place Atalanta the week after.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]