The Germans were organized and compact. In the second half, Knauff scared Milinkovic, and in the final minutes, Anguissa and Hojlund had chances. The Tricolori are on four points halfway through the championship phase

Napoli can no longer score at the Maradona. Against Eintracht, it ends like it did against Como, with a 0-0 draw, just two shots on goal, and many regrets. All expressed with the loudest grumbling of the match on Hojlund’s last-second chance: a shot in the 95th minute that could have changed the evening and future scenarios, but instead, hope was extinguished between Zetterer’s gloves. Now they have four points in the Champions League standings, too few to allow themselves any more missteps. Especially at home.

LOTS OF NAPOLI, ZERO GOALS – The first half at Maradona, however, was all blue. Eintracht made their presence felt after 3 minutes with Bahoya, whose low shot was blocked by Milinkovic, then the Neapolitan solo began. Even if without goals. After the first 15 minutes, Napoli had completed 152 passes, their opponents 46; after 20 minutes, Conte’s team had 71% possession. Toppmoller, named Dino in honor of Zoff, defended well, however. His Eintracht side was organized, even if the first danger was nullified by Anguissa and McTominay, who got in each other’s way just a few steps from the goal, and the German defense was certainly not impenetrable, especially on the right. In short, Gutierrez and Elmas have a lot of responsibility – it’s the first time the two have played together on the left flank – and Conte’s number 20 takes it all in his stride, as does the applause after the first two chances that come his way. All in the space of a couple of minutes. First, he shoots from outside, but the ball hits McTominay and goes high, then he takes the ball on the edge of the offside line, enters the area, shoots, and is the first to trouble Zetterer. The fast lane is on the left, and when Napoli doesn’t use it, they struggle much more to move up the field. On the other side, the battle between the number 21s puts Politano to the test: Brown is not an easy opponent. Di Lorenzo’s inaccuracies then do the rest. Just before the half-hour mark, the pace slows down, but Conte takes no risks and Milinkovic remains on the sidelines. The two midfield tenors pass the German test: when Anguissa advances, he makes use of his physical superiority and is the one who periodically tries to open the right door, which is initially locked. Lobotka manages the rest; and if the Cameroonian is sought out when needed to protect the ball and find a good idea to advance, the second is relied upon to bring order and reason to the ball on the ground. Zambo continues to surf the Eintracht defense line, and a good pass from Di Lorenzo finds him ready for a cross, which Hojlund, too timid, fails to pounce on. In the 40th minute, he also attempts a shot from outside the area but kicks too high. In the 45th minute, an incomprehensible McTominay completely misses the opening on the left, gets angry with himself, some teammates spread their arms, and Conte turns to his bench for a quick consultation. Perhaps also for a little comfort. His Napoli team is always missing something in the final meters, and the first half, despite the Azzurri having possession for almost twice as long, ends with just one shot on goal (by Elmas).

HOJLUND’S ILLUSION AND ANOTHER 0-0 – In the second half, Napoli return to the pitch less dominant, while Eintracht play for time and Maradona nips at their heels. But the Germans are no longer sitting back as they did at the start: in the 52nd minute, Chaibi attempts a first-time shot, but it comes out weak and is effectively a pass to Milinkovic. The home side’s first corner of the game comes in the 56th minute but comes to nothing. Napoli are thinking too much and not doing enough, but now even the Maradona stands are beginning to murmur at every back pass. In the 64th minute, the first substitutions are made: Knauff replaces Bahoya on one side, and Neres replaces Politano on the other. The stalemate up front continues until a McTominay run (in the 68th minute) grazes Toppmoller’s right post. Another corner (the fourth), but the flag never brings the action that breaks the deadlock. Will the decisive spark come from the substitutions? Knauff tries and soon tests Milinkovic Savic. It’s his third save of the evening; Zetterer has made one. In the 74th minute, Lang replaces Lobotka, and it is the Dutchman who finds McTominay, who in turn inspires Anguissa: the gap is right, but the midfielder’s finish is not. Back to square one. The decisive counterattack could come in the 83rd minute with the same protagonists: this time it is Anguissa who serves McTominay, but the number 8’s shot is too high. Napoli slows down, and the inaccuracies increase. Lang creates another chance in the 89th minute with a good cross for Anguissa, but it is blocked. There is a hint of protest for an alleged handball in the area, but the referee waves play on. For what little time remained… Hojlund gave Napoli hope in the 95th minute, but his shot—only his second of the evening—from two yards out was saved by Zetterer. Thus, the fourth matchday of the Champions League ended with Napoli dropping another two points and falling behind in the European standings, which from now on will allow no more slip-ups, at least for those who want to reach the round of 16.