These days, it’s difficult to believe that Napoli were playing third-division football just sixteen years ago. Since their return to Serie A in 2007-2008, they’ve missed out on Europe just once (yes, the Intertoto Cup counts). But the upcoming quarter final clash with AC Milan is the furthest Napoli have gone in the Champions League, in the most exciting season since Diego Maradona led the club to its first Serie A title in 1987. And if there’s one thing that’s clear from the matches below–keeping in mind the Stuttgart game was the second of two legs, following a 2-1 victory in Naples–it’s that the Stadio Maradona (nee San Paolo) is hallowed ground. So if the Partenopei fall to Milan in the first leg, Napoli fans would do well to remember that the magic happens at home.
Napoli 3-1 Chelsea (Champions League, 21/02/2012)
In their first-ever Champions League tournament, Napoli collected four points against Manchester City to finish second behind Bayern Munich in the group stage, pitting them against Chelsea in the Round of 16. In what many believed would be the end of André Villas-Boas’ time with the Blues, Napoli came from behind to defeat a befuddled Chelsea side.
While Paolo Cannavaro’s mistake allowed Juan Mata to put the visitors in front, Napoli rallied in what had become a trademark for Walter Mazzarri’s side. They put on a display encapsulating everything that characterized the Special Mister’s approach to the game: fast, dazzling, dramatic. Ezequiel Lavezzi, who’d been wandering the midfield and switching to the right flank, got himself into space, accelerating past the Chelsea defense to net the equalizer. Then came Edinson Cavani, shouldering in a cross from the immutable Gökhan Inler. The two goalscorers combined for the third, taking advantage of Hugo Campagnaro’s tendency toward offensive play, speeding forward to meet the defender’s ball, Cavani getting on the end of it and Lavezzi positioning himself in such a way to meet the Uruguayan’s ball and beat Petr Cech. The squad’s speed and ability to press on the counter were on full display, with wingback Christian Maggio denied a fourth only by a desperate goalline clearance.
Although Chelsea went on to win the Champions League, this match showed Napoli, just five seasons back in Italy’s top flight, were determined to prove that the south would rise again.
Napoli 3-0 Juventus (UEFA Cup, 15/03/1989)
Napoli entered the second leg of the UEFA Cup quarterfinals down 2-0 to Juve, bolstered only by a late 1-0 league victory over tiny Cesena. Michael Laudrup put the visitors ahead after just two minutes; fortunately for the Partenopei future, the boisterous crowd was calmed when the goal was disallowed for offsides–all too often had games been called off and points been awarded to the big clubs thanks to Napoli fans’ riotous behavior.
A foul on Careca gave Napoli the lead when Maradona converted the penalty. Andrea Carnevale scored the second, prompting a cautious Juventus to do little in the second half to disrupt the balance. The tension hung thick over the San Paolo, especially with Maradona constantly rubbing his knee. Diego was pulled five minutes into extra time, and penalties seemed inevitable. Then Careca, the often unsung hero of those Napoli days, rescued his side once more, lofting a perfect cross to Alessandro Renica. His 119th minute header won the match for Napoli, setting the stage for their most dramatic European match ever.
FC Basel 2-4 Napoli (Coppa delle Alpi, 08/06/1966)
Say what now? The Alpine Cup? The tournament began as a preseason friendly amongst Italian sides, which generously expanded to include Swiss teams when someone realized the majority of the Alps lay within that country. No attention was given to domestic performance or table position, but that shouldn’t discount the glory of this Napoli side. For one, they’d just been promoted from Serie B in 1965, only to go on to finish 3rd in the 1965-1966 season, The squad featured the infamous duo of José Altafini and Omar Sívori, playing under the legendary Bruno Pesaola in his second stint on the bench. The “Fantastic Duo,” captivating both on and off the pitch, would go on to lead Napoli to its best finish to date, runners-up in 1967-1968.
The role of this seemingly “minor” trophy should not be discounted in the success of this squad. Napoli beat all four sides it faced, scoring 15 goals in the process. In this match, up against the side that would go on to win the Swiss double that year, Altafini scored a hat-trick inside 51 minutes, and after Vincenzo Montefusco added a fourth at the hour mark, Napoli generously allowed Basel to score twice. Sívori, foreshadowing the 1968 on-field dustup that saw him leave the club prematurely, decided he should just walk off the pitch in the 87th minute. In other words, this match set the tone for much of the second half of Napoli’s history. Securing their first trophy brought them close to league glory, but it also paved the way for off-field drama and pathways by which Italy’s Big Three could poach the best Partenopei players.
Napoli 4-1 Liverpool (Champions League, 07/09/2022)
Naples is dangerous. That, in a nutshell, is what the Liverpool FC press office told fans preparing to visit the city for the first leg of the 2022 UCL group stage tie. Stay in your hotel, don’t wear your colors, and for goodness sake, don’t engage. Turns out those press officers knew what they were talking about: Naples was extremely dangerous to the visiting Reds.
After just five minutes of play at the Diego Maradona Stadium, Piotr Zieliński put Napoli on top after converting a penalty brought about by James Milner’s careless hands. A second penalty, saved by Allison, just riled up Napoli, who could’ve easily been up 5-0 by the time André-Frank Zambo Anguissa netted their second. After Giovanni Simeone’s emotional outburst at scoring on his debut, and a cool second from Zieliński, an elated Napoli allowed Luis Díaz a consolation goal for Liverpool.
The single goal did little to elevate a humiliated Liverpool, however. The hosts had run circles–literally–around the previous year’s runners-up, slicing them apart with decisive passes, turning them inside out, setting them on their heads and flipping them on their backsides. It was the first real glimpse of what would turn out to be a magical season for Luciano Spalletti’s enthralling young side.
Stuttgart 3-3 Napoli (UEFA Cup, 17/05/1989)
Hands down, Napoli’s best European night (before 2023, anyway) was when they hoisted the UEFA Cup.
They glided onto the pitch behind their short little deity, confident in their short white shorts and their 2-1 lead. And while an injured Alemão put the Neapolitans ahead inside 20 minutes, the rest of the night proved terrifying for the 20,000 visiting fans. After less than ten minutes on top, an error from Napoli keeper Giuliano Giuliani allowed Jürgen Klinsmann to tap in the equalizer. A furious back and forth ensued. Napoli went into the break up 2-1, thanks to a header from Maradona that allowed Ciro Ferrara to volley home. Then it became 3-1 after a brilliant back and forth between Diego and Careca, the latter of whom executed a perfectly chipped goal to give Napoli some breathing room.
The supporters, an ever-superstitious lot, refused to celebrate yet–with good reason, it turned out. With 20 minutes to go, Fernando De Napoli put the ball into the back of his own net. Stuttgart still needed three goals to turn things around, yet the Partenopei faithful shushed any who attempted to rejoice early. Sure enough, in the 89th minute Olaf Schmäler capitalized on another mistake by De Napoli, making it 3–3. Napoli closed ranks and battered down the hatches. A few nerve-wracking minutes later, Maradona lifted Napoli’s first significant European trophy.
Back home, Naples erupted, almost all its inhabitants flooding the streets and partying until dawn.
Bio
Kirsten Schlewitz is a writer, editor, and passionate Napoli fan. Her book, More than Maradona: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of Napoli Football Club, will be out in late summer 2023. Until then, she will be hiding in her pillow fort, not entirely trusting that this Napoli team will actually clinch their third scudetto. You can find her stressed ramblings on Twitter @kdschlewitz