Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Napoli v Chelsea - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - January 28, 2026 Chelsea's Joao Pedro in action with Napoli's Scott McTominay REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
NAPLES, Italy, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Napoli are out of the Champions League after a 3-2 loss at home to Chelsea on Wednesday, with Joao Pedro scoring twice in the second half to seal the visitors a place in the last 16.
Chelsea's first away win of the campaign gives them a sixth-place finish in the league phase standings with 16 points, while Serie A champions Napoli end 30th on eight points.
The top eight teams go straight through to the last 16 and those placed from ninth to 24th head to the two-legged playoffs for the remaining eight spots.
Chelsea had already secured at least a playoff spot while Napoli needed a win to give themselves a realistic chance of surviving, but they fell short despite coming from a goal down to lead at halftime.
Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea ahead with a penalty in the 19th minute before Napoli responded with two goals in 10 minutes from Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund.
Napoli took their foot off the gas after the break and Pedro levelled for Chelsea in the 61st minute before netting the winner eight minutes from time.
"The finishing made the difference, they were much more clinical and precise," Napoli boss and former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte told Sky Sport.
"Joao Pedro made the difference, he's a really important player for Chelsea."
Injury-hit Napoli had just five outfield players on the bench, including two youth team players with no senior experience and former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku who has 11 minutes of action under his belt this season.
"I don't think a situation like this has happened to any team in the world, today we have 13 outfield players," Conte told Amazon Prime before kickoff.
PEDRO'S BRILLIANCE TURNS GAME
Chelsea were awarded a penalty after Juan Jesus handled the ball defending a free kick and Fernandez stuck the spot kick into the bottom corner.
Napoli pushed forward in search of the equaliser and Vergara netted his first goal for Napoli in the 33rd minute.
He collected a pass from Mathias Olivera and skipped past the challenge of Moses Caicedo on his way into the area where he spun away from Wesley Fofana before steering his low shot into the far corner.
Napoli, the hungrier-looking side and with all the momentum, hit the front three minutes from the break. Olivera played a pass across the area for Hojlund to sweep home from just outside the six-yard area.
"The coach said (at halftime) to try to be calm and to try put our game on the pitch," Pedro told TNT Sports.
A moment of individual brilliance drew Chelsea level. Pedro gathered the ball outside the area, turned his marker and let fly from distance with a swerving strike which found the top corner.
Napoli sent on Lukaku late on but it was Chelsea who scored again, Pedro going on a solo run into the area and drilling his shot into the net.
"There's still a lot of pride and satisfaction because even with more than half the team missing we played better than Chelsea and deserved much more," Conte added.
"It's a shame, we deserved to reach the playoffs."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Clare Fallon)
