Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored from the penalty spot after another contentious handball to help Napoli defeat Ajax 4-2 and secure their place in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Victor Osimhen then added the winning goal.
Wednesday night, Napoli jumped out to a 2-0 lead within the first 16 minutes; Klaassen pulled a goal back after the break, but Kvaratskhelia added a penalty; Bergwijn converted an 83rd-minute penalty; and Osimhen scored late.
By defeating Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 on Wednesday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Napoli maintained their perfect record in the Champions League group stage and advanced to the knockout rounds.
The Serie A leaders were comfortably up after only two minutes thanks to goals from Hirving Lozano and Giacomo Raspadori. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second goal with a second-half penalty after Davy Klaassen had pulled one back for Ajax.
Steven Bergwijn’s 83rd-minute penalty brought the score back to 3-2 for the Dutch team, but a terrible defensive blunder allowed Victor Osimhen to score Napoli’s fourth goal in the waning seconds.
They advance to the round of 16 in February along with Real Madrid, Club Brugge, and Manchester City, the current champions.
Ajax’s chances of avenging their humiliating 6-1 loss last week at the Amsterdam Arena, their worst loss in European club competition, were dashed in the opening exchanges of the game.
In the fourth minute, Lozano quickly exchanged passes with Piotr Zielinski before heading the lofted return ball into the goal as Ajax’s defense was rendered immobile.
While Napoli moved down the other end with a fluid run on the left from Kvaratskhelia, who sent the ball inside for Raspadori to rocket a powerful shot into the net, the Dutch club had many half chances for a quick equalizer.
Following the half, Ajax appeared to be the more promising of the two teams, and they were soon rewarded when Klaassen headed in Calvin Bassey’s inch-perfect cross in the 49th minute.
After a VAR review determined that Jurrien Timber had handled the ball in his own area, Napoli’s two-goal lead was restored in the 62nd minute, and Kvaratskhelia scored from the resulting spot-kick.
Seven minutes from the end, Ajax was given a penalty of their own, which gave them a chance to salvage a draw when Bergwijn converted from the spot after replacement Brian Brobbey was fouled.However, their dreams were dashed in the final second when Osimhen dispossessed Daley Blind as the Nigerian striker celebrate