McTominay helps Napoli overcome Qarabag 2-0 in Champions League

NAPLES, Italy :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