Scott McTominay came to the rescue for Rasmus Højlund as Napoli marked the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona’s passing with a 2-0 win over FK Qarabag in the Champions League.
The Scotland midfielder McTominay put the Serie A champions ahead in the 65th minute with a header before a deflected attempt seven minutes later, unintentionally turned in by Qarabag midfielder Marko Jankovic, sealed the victory.
Manchester United loanee Højlund earlier had a penalty saved by visiting goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.
This win pushed Antonio Conte’s team to tie on seven points with their rivals Qarabag after five matches in the group stage.
During the match, tributes were paid to Argentina and Napoli icon Maradona, a two-time Scudetto winner and UEFA Cup champion with Napoli, both before and during the game.
A video honoring Maradona was shown on the stadium’s big screens prior to kickoff, with the announcer stating, “Napoli wishes to remember you with a special video. Five years ago, the greatest of all time left us.”
The entire stadium erupted in chants of “Diego, Diego.”
In the 10th minute — Maradona’s shirt number — fans began singing “there’s only one Maradona” and displayed flags, scarves, and team shirts in his honor.
The Azerbaijani champions, who held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw on matchday four after winning their first two games against Benfica and Copenhagen, started brightly on a wet evening in southern Italy.
Forward Emmanuel Addai missed a good chance for the visitors after a misplayed pass from McTominay, but Napoli gradually began to assert their dominance.
In the 35th minute, David Neres’ acrobatic attempt was expertly tipped over by Polish goalkeeper Kochalski, while Napoli’s captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo slipped at a crucial moment while charging toward goal.
Danish striker Højlund squandered a prime opportunity 11 minutes into the second half when his penalty was saved by Kochalski after Jankovic fouled Di Lorenzo.
McTominay broke the deadlock, heading in from close range after Kochalski had initially kept out a close call from Bahlul Mustafazade on a corner.
Kochalski made a remarkable double save to deny Noa Lang and then McTominay, while Neres hit the crossbar with a cross before Napoli took control and scored a second.
McTominay aimed for an acrobatic shot in the 72nd minute, leading to a bizarre own goal off Jankovic.
McTominay’s powerful shot also had an effect on Qarabag defender Kevin Medina, who was knocked down when struck in the face early in the second half.
Medina lay motionless for almost a minute following the impact in the 51st minute, prompting the medical team to rush onto the field with a golf cart. However, after a quick concussion check, he chose to continue playing, though looked unsteady and was forced to leave the match 10 minutes later.
Information from PA and The Associated Press was included in this report.