NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) -Napoli earned a 2-0 home victory over Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday, with a Scott McTominay header and an own goal downing the resilient visitors whose goalkeeper denied Rasmus Hojlund from the penalty spot among a string of fine saves.
It was a much-needed victory for the hosts, who had won one of their opening four matches, but Napoli were made to battle all the way by an Azerbaijani side who put in a battling performance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Both sides are on seven points, with Qarabag a provisional 16th in the league phase standings and Napoli 18th.
Qarabag showed their intent from the start, pressing high up the pitch, and Emmanuel Addai came close early on with a powerful low effort from distance that flew just wide.
Napoli managed to get a foothold in the game, but their typical patient build-up play did little to trouble the visitors until a David Neres overhead kick brought a spectacular save from Qarabag keeper Mateusz Kochalski.
Qarabag continued to threaten, with Addai having another shot deflected into the side netting, and a balanced opening half ended goalless.
"The first minutes were difficult, too many mistakes but that can happen," McTominay told Sky. "In the second half we went better, but we should have scored more goals."
Qarabag striker Camilo Duran tried his luck from a wide angle shortly after the break but keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic managed to hold onto the ball at the second attempt.
The visitors conceded what looked a harsh penalty for what the referee saw as a foul by Marko Jankovic on Giovanni Di Lorenzo but Kochalski went the right way to deny Hojlund with a one-handed save.
MCTOMINAY MAESTRO AT THE MARADONA
Napoli began to stream forward, Kochalski again saving from Neres, and when the keeper stopped Mathias Olivera's close-range effort, the resulting corner brought the opening goal in the 65th minute.
Kochalski batted away the ball from an attempted clearance by his own defender but McTominay was perfectly placed to head in the rebound.
McTominay's attempted overhead kick seven minutes later was turned into his own net by Jankovic and the Azerbaijani side had no response as Napoli earned the win on the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona's death.
In the 10th minute, the Napoli fans remembered their most famous number 10, holding aloft scarves, flags and t-shirts in memory of the revered Maradona, who was fundamental to the Naples club winning their first two league titles.
"Incredible, the crowd here is something iconic," said McTominay, Serie A Player of the Season last term in helping Napoli win the Scudetto.
"I think of many dreams that we have already achieved and those that we still want to achieve for this club."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)
