MILAN:
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia lived up to the comparisons with the icon Diego Maradona with an amazing goal Naples on a high ahead of their Champions League showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Georgia winger has become one of the most interesting things in Europe after a first season in Naples, the most popular Napoli player since Maradona worked in southern Italy in the 1980s.
And now he is set to lead Napoli into the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition for the first time in their history, 13 goals and as many assists in all competitions make him a star – with and Victor Osimhen – an excellent team.
His stunning goal that gave Napoli a 2-0 win over Atalanta on Saturday was the perfect example of the 22-year-old’s control and precision of play which has become a target of time and time again.
Having been beaten at home by Lazio in the week there were concerns after a goalless first half that a typical spring for Luciano Spalletti’s side was on the cards, but ‘Kvaradona’ sprinkled his star dust.
After collecting a pass from Osimhen in a counter attack by Napoli Kvaratskhelia was charged with the Atalanta protection without a back.
His first move around Rafael Toloi and Giorgio Scalvini glided through thin air, but after tricking four defenders he then cut into Crazy Push before hitting the building on the nearby post.
By the time he shot, only Kvaratskhelia in the penalty area and seven Atalanta players were powerless to stop the goal that won Napoli and sealed their first Scudetto since the 1990.
“He found a goal worthy of Maradona, this time you can say, to see the quality of control in a visible boat… when he runs to you it is very inexplicable, ” Spalletti told reporters after the game.
The Italian champion faces Eintracht with a 2-0 to defend after a trying first leg in Germany and there is nothing but good feelings around the team.
An impressive 18 points at the top of Serie A, Spalletti’s fans are looking at a deep run in Europe and have a good chance of making the last eight.
Spalletti said after the first leg that arch-rival Napoli was “a foregone conclusion” but the stars could not be aligned for his team.
His entire squad should have been available for Wednesday’s game after knocking out starter Alex Meret and senior Kim Min-jae who suffered earlier in Saturday’s win. it didn’t seem serious.
Meanwhile, Eintracht are without their son Randal Kolo Muani who was sent off in the first leg and has scored eight goals in 11 games in all competitions since the end of the year.
And Eintracht will not have their usual army of fans in Naples after the city council banned Frankfurt residents from buying tickets on Sunday.
On Saturday, the first ban on anyone in Germany to buy tickets, issued on Friday by the Italian interior ministry after the chaos in the first leg, was lifted after an appeal from Eintracht.
The recent decision to limit ticket sales as a public safety measure angered Eintracht, whose board member Philipp Reschke said in a statement that the club could not take any action. .
“It is a well-known fact that two-thirds of our fans are from outside the Rhine-Main region and do not come from Frankfurt,” he said.
“There are countless ways to circumvent this law and bring parts of our fan base into the arena…we don’t divide ourselves into symbolic places.”
Eintracht appeals the decision although it does not take the 2,700 available places, but “in view of the time, (it) is more of a principle for us and how it affects future decisions .”
.
Leave a Reply