Napoli survived a dramatic late scare to secure a 4-3 victory over Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, with Scott McTominay scoring twice to help the Italian side claim their first points of the European campaign.
In a seven-goal thriller at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Matteo Politano gave Napoli an early lead before Jens Petter Hauge equalised for the Norwegian visitors. McTominay restored Napoli’s advantage before half-time, but Andreas Helmersen levelled again after the restart.
McTominay’s second goal put Napoli ahead for a third time, while an own goal from Odin Bjørtuft appeared to settle the contest. However, Sondre Brunstad Fet struck in stoppage time to make the closing moments uncomfortable for the hosts.
Napoli ultimately held on to claim a valuable victory after a difficult start to their Champions League campaign, but their defensive vulnerabilities remained evident throughout an entertaining encounter.
The hosts needed only a few seconds to make their mark.
Politano opened the scoring in the first minute, finishing brilliantly from Leonardo Spinazzola’s cross. The winger met the delivery with a first-time volley, sending the ball beyond goalkeeper Nikita Haikin to give Napoli an immediate 1-0 advantage.
Napoli continued to attack, with Giovanni Di Lorenzo testing Haikin from distance and McTominay threatening with an effort that was deflected by the visiting defence.
Noa Lang also came close to doubling the advantage after Kevin De Bruyne played an incisive pass through the Norwegian defence. However, Lang’s attempt was directed too close to Haikin, who made an important save to keep Bodø/Glimt in the contest.
The visitors gradually settled into the match and began finding space in Napoli’s defensive structure.
Their persistence paid off in the 27th minute when Hauge equalised with an excellent curling finish.
After Bodø/Glimt worked the ball into an attacking position, the Norwegian forward produced a technically impressive effort that beat Alex Meret and restored parity at 1-1.
The goal punished Napoli for allowing the visitors too much space around the penalty area and shifted the momentum of the contest.
Napoli goalkeeper Meret then endured a nervous moment when he came off his line to intercept a long ball but was beaten to it by Kasper Høgh’s teammate Ole Blomberg. Blomberg pushed the ball too far ahead, however, and failed to capitalise on the opportunity to score into an unguarded net.
Napoli escaped and eventually regained the lead in the 41st minute.
De Bruyne supplied the decisive pass for McTominay, who struck towards goal. A deflection off a Bodø/Glimt defender wrong-footed Haikin, allowing the ball to find the net and giving Napoli a 2-1 advantage.
The goal was particularly significant for the Scottish midfielder, who had been searching for his first goal of the season. His strike restored Napoli’s lead just before the interval and gave the home side a valuable advantage at half-time.
Bodø/Glimt, however, returned with renewed determination and refused to allow Napoli to establish control.
Napoli came close to extending their lead in the 60th minute when De Bruyne drove into the penalty area and supplied McTominay. The midfielder struck first time, but his effort hit the post and rebounded into play.
It was a crucial moment because Bodø/Glimt equalised shortly afterwards.
In the 62nd minute, substitute Andreas Helmersen found space inside Napoli’s defensive line and unleashed a powerful diagonal effort beyond Meret to make it 2-2.
The equaliser exposed Napoli’s difficulty in containing the visitors’ attacking movements, and the home supporters began to grow increasingly anxious as Bodø/Glimt threatened to take control.
Meret was forced into another important intervention when Patrick Berg unleashed a dangerous low shot, stretching the goalkeeper to prevent the visitors from moving ahead.
Napoli responded in the 75th minute, with McTominay once again proving decisive.
Politano delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area, and McTominay rose above the defenders to head the ball into the net, restoring Napoli’s lead at 3-2.
It was a superb aerial finish from the Scottish midfielder, who timed his jump perfectly to meet Politano’s delivery.
The goal gave Napoli renewed confidence, and the hosts pushed forward in search of a fourth strike to secure the result.
That breakthrough arrived in the 88th minute through Giovane, although the goal was officially recorded as an own goal by Bjørtuft.
Giovane recovered possession on the left and drove towards the penalty area before attempting to send a low cross across goal. The ball struck Bjørtuft and deflected into the net, leaving Haikin unable to prevent it from crossing the line.
At 4-2, Napoli appeared to have settled the contest, and the home supporters had reason to believe their team would finally secure a comfortable European victory.
However, Bodø/Glimt had one final response.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Fet found the net after a cross was headed against the crossbar before falling into his path. He reacted quickly to turn the ball home, reducing the deficit to 4-3 and setting up a tense finish.
The late goal gave the visitors renewed hope, but Napoli managed to protect their narrow advantage until the final whistle.
The match offered plenty of entertainment, from Politano’s spectacular opening volley and McTominay’s two goals to the dramatic woodwork incident in stoppage time. Napoli’s failure to maintain a comfortable defensive structure, however, ensured the closing stages were far more stressful than necessary.
For Napoli, the victory provides an important boost after a difficult run of results. McTominay’s brace and Politano’s contribution proved decisive, while De Bruyne’s creativity helped the hosts establish important attacking opportunities.
Bodø/Glimt deserve credit for their resilience. They recovered from falling behind three times and continued to attack until the final seconds, but their defensive mistakes ultimately proved costly.
Napoli leave the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with three valuable Champions League points, although the performance also serves as a reminder that their defensive organisation must improve if they are to progress further in the competition.
In the end, McTominay’s decisive double and Giovane’s late contribution ensured that Napoli survived a seven-goal battle and secured a much-needed European victory.
