The match with Real Madrid was the fulfillment of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s dream . The Georgian, who grew up watching Los Blancos matches, took to the field for the first time against his favorite club and made every effort to beat it. But so far he is unable to do this.
The earthquake that occurred in Naples on the eve of the match did not in any way affect the occupancy of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. From the first minutes, the crowded stands urged Napoli to attack, and the hosts rolled into the Madrid goal wave after wave. The guests did not hesitate to respond, and a double-edged game ensued on the field. Real Madrid's defense was the first to make a mistake — Kepa Arrizabalaga did not reach the ball when taking a corner, and the Neapolitans pushed the ball into the net in two attempts.
This goal did not look very logical, because Real was gradually taking the initiative into its own hands. The man on the pitch was Jude Bellingham, who clearly showed why he is now one of the best players in the world. The Briton was everywhere — working on defense, starting attacks, escalating the game, shooting on goal, working under pressure. And he was good everywhere.
It is fair that it was Bellingham who quickly restored the balance in the score, and then brought the guests ahead. First, he intercepted the ball at the opponent's goal and brought Vinicius Junior into a scoring position, and a few minutes later he did everything himself — he dragged the ball from the center of the field to the penalty area and hit the opponent's goal. The total dominance of the visiting midfielder completely turned the game around.
However, Napoli had their own views on the outcome of this match. The hosts took some time to come to their senses, but even before the end of the first half they managed to create a couple of sharp moments. And after the break, the hosts' pressure intensified. The initiators of the increased pressure were Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The Nigerian teased the visitors' central defenders with runs into free zones and openings in the penalty area, regularly came out on the ball after passes, made several dangerous shots and even earned a penalty at the beginning of the second half, from which Piotr Zielinski equalized the score. Osimhen seemed to be trying to prove that he was worthy of playing for Real, because in the summer Madrid were interested in him as a replacement for Karim Benzema. And he managed to prove his worth.
Khvicha also performed superbly. The Georgian dribbled very actively, earned fouls, pulled opponents on himself, escalated the game, and took shots himself. Almost not a single attack by the hosts took place without his participation. The main thing is that Kvaratskhelia did everything right, did not over-hold the ball and did not try to stand out too much through individual actions. Thanks to his smart decisions, Napoli dominated the field for most of the second half. But still lost.
After all, “Real” is “Real”. The class of Los Blancos' players is too high to count on a positive result just by playing well. You need to play perfectly and count on some luck. Napoli were not perfect, and they were also a little unlucky. Federico Valverde once again unloaded his cannon in the middle of the second half — the ball, after a long-range strike from the Uruguayan, flew with such force that the home goalkeeper simply did not have time to properly react to it.
So “Real” took the lead and did not miss the victory. Madrid calmed down the game with experience and did not even allow the opponent to organize the final assault. The efforts of Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia were not enough for another rescue, and the Neapolitans did not have any other heroes.
This defeat most likely will not affect Napoli’s prospects in the Champions League in any way — they have no serious competitors in the fight for second place . At the same time, the team showed that it can play on an equal footing with anyone, even the most stellar opponent. And Khvicha has shown that he can dominate against the best players in the world. All that remains is to achieve stability and not just dominate, but bring results. And then the Georgian will fulfill another dream — to play not against Real Madrid, but for it. It's too early for him to go there. But he is on the right track.