Benfica 2-0 Napoli: Mourinho's men get one over on Conte to end barren home run
Fourteen months on from their last European home victory, Benfica finally returned to winning ways against an accommodating Napoli.
Benfica ended their wait for a home Champions League win by beating Napoli 2-0 to reignite their hopes of advancing through the first phase.
A run of seven matches without a European victory on home soil represented Benfica's worst-ever run and had contributed to their dismal start to this campaign.
But after winning away at Ajax last month, Jose Mourinho's men have consecutive victories and are in contention to reach the play-offs.
Benfica were deserving winners and led after 20 minutes when the ball dropped kindly for Richard Rios in front of goal and he prodded past Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Rios then turned provider for the clinching second only four minutes into the second half, although his low cross required a delightful, delicate flick from Leandro Barreiro to creep past Milinkovic-Savic.
Napoli scarcely threatened a fightback and are now just one point and two places above Benfica either side of the play-off line.
Data Debrief: Partenopei no party poopers
Given their barren home run, Benfica could hardly have hoped for more generous guests than Antonio Conte's Napoli.
This was their fifth successive defeat away from home in European competition, a new unwanted club record. It also represents their worst such winless run since a streak of nine between 1994 and 2011.
Conte is unlikely to reflect fondly on his 50th Champions League match as a coach, and his 17 victories in that time are the fewest among the eight Italians to reach the milestone.
