Napoli 2-0 Qarabag: McTominay continues to be the hero for Conte

Napoli picked up a much-needed win in the Champions League after they clinched a 2-0 victory against Qarabag.

Antonio Conte wanted to mark the five-year anniversary of Diego Maradona's passing with a win, and Scott McTominay helped do exactly that as he scored the opener before forcing an own goal in Naples.

It was a quiet first half, with just a combined 0.7 expected goals (xG) being produced from both sides, with the only clear chance falling Napoli's way. David Neres managed to get on the end of a cross from Noa Lang, but Mateusz Kochalski kept the acrobatic strike out with a diving save.

The hosts then had a golden chance to break the deadlock just before the hour mark when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was fouled in the box by Marko Jankovic, but Rasmus Hojlund was denied from the penalty spot by Kochalski.

However, Napoli's main man, McTominay, did put them ahead in the 65th minute, firing home a rebound after the Qarabag goalkeeper initially kept out a corner.

A barrage of chances followed for Napoli, with Kochalski making a double save to keep out Lang and McTominay, Hojlund failing to hit the target from a header, and Neres striking the crossbar, but the second goal eventually came seven minutes after the first as McTominay's hooked effort was turned in by Jankovic.

Data Debrief: McTominay, who else?

Napoli registered an xG total of 3.44, their highest amount in a Champions League game since September 2022 (3.53 vs Rangers), while Qarabag mustered together 0.49 from three shots on target.

McTominay's three goals in the Champions League for Napoli this season are the joint-most by a Scottish player in a single campaign, after John McGinn in 2024-25 and Kenny Miller in 2006-07.

The midfielder led Napoli in shots (five), touches (80), possessions won (six) and interceptions (two) as he proved to be the deciding factor once again for Conte.