Napoli qualify for Champions League knockout stage with 4-2 win over Ajax

Napoli’s Kim Min-jae celebrates with Victor Osimhen after the Italian side beat Ajax 4-2 in a Champions League match on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

 
Serie A leader Napoli did what Napoli do best in a Champions League clash with Ajax on Wednesday: Score a bunch of goals in the first half and a couple more in the second half to take a decisive win and look like you’re having fun doing it.
 
Wednesday’s game at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy, ended at 4-2, technically the Italian side’s closest result yet in the competition, but with 17 goals for and four against, it’s almost entirely academic.
 
With the win, Napoli have advanced to the knockout stage at the Champions League with two games still to play, leaving them with nothing left to achieve in the group stage except prevent Liverpool — who beat Rangers 7-1 on Wednesday — from sneaking up to the top spot.
 
The goals came thick and fast on Wednesday, with Hirving Lozano hammering in the first before the fans had even found their seats in the fourth minute. Giacomo Raspadori added one of his own in the 16th minute, allowing the blues to sit back for the rest of the first half and enjoy a comfortable 2-0 lead.
 
Davy Klaassen got one back for Ajax at the top of the second half, the Dutch club finally breaking through after conceding eight consecutive goals to Napoli in the space of a week.
 
The respite didn’t last for long, however, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scoring a penalty in the 62nd minute to take the score to 3-1.
 
Former Tottenham Hotspur man Steven Bergwijn narrowed the gap again with a penalty for Ajax in the 83rd minute, before substitute Victor Osimhen extended the lead to 4-2 a couple of minutes before the whistle blew.
 
Korean center-back Kim Min-jae once again played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday, continuing an impressive debut season in Italy as a core part of what has proven to be a formidable Napoli squad.
 

Ajax’s Brian Brobbey, left, in action with Napoli’s Kim Min-jae during a Champions League game in Naples on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

 
Napoli are off to a phenomenal start to the 2022-23 season, remaining undefeated across all competitions after 13 games.
 
The Naples club have racked up seven wins and two draws in Serie A so far this season, with both draws coming fairly early on — against Fiorentina on Aug. 28 and Lecce on Aug. 31. The club has also racked up a huge goal difference, scoring 22 goals in nine games and only conceding seven for a goal difference of 15.
 
In the Champions League, Napoli have looked even more confident. Napoli lead Group A with 12 points and another impressive goal difference, having beaten Liverpool 4-1, Rangers 3-0 and Ajax 6-1 and 4-2. They are the lead goal scorers in both Serie A and the Champions League.
 
For 25-year-old Kim, it’s difficult to imagine a better place to start a top-tier European career.
 
Kim joined Napoli in July from Turkish club Fenerbahce after one year playing in the Super Lig. According to reports, Kim is under contract with Napoli until 2025, with the club retaining the option to extend the deal for two more years. Napoli paid 19.5 million euros ($20 million) to Fenerbahce to trigger Kim’s release clause, and have included a 45-million-euro release clause in his new contract.
 
Since arriving in Naples, Kim has played the full 90 minutes in 12 of Napoli’s 13 games so far this season across all competitions.
 
Across all those games, Kim and the Napoli defensive line have only conceded 11 goals, seven in league games and four in the Champions League. Not only has Kim pulled his weight in defense, he has also scored two Serie A goals so far this season, against Monza on Aug. 21 and Lazio on Sept. 3.
 
Napoli will be back in action on Sunday with a Serie A game against Bologna.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]