Simeone double fires red-hot Napoli past Rangers

Napoli’s Argentinian forward Giovanni Simeone (C-L) fights for the ball with Rangers’ English defender James Tavernier (C-R) during the UEFA Champions League Group A second leg football match between SSC Napoli and Rangers FC at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples on October 26, 2022. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Giovanni Simeone made sure that Napoli maintained top spot in Champions League Group A on Wednesday with a double in his team’s comfortable 3-0 win over Rangers.

Luciano Spalletti’s side extended their all-competitions winning streak to club-record 12 matches thanks to Simeone’s classily taken finishes in five first half minutes and a late Leo Ostigard header.

Napoli, who were already in the last 16, stay three points ahead of Liverpool and will win the group as long as they avoid a heavy loss at Anfield next week.

Rangers are stuck on no points after their fifth straight defeat in the competition and can only make it into the Europa League if they manage the unlikely feat of beating Ajax by five goals in Glasgow.

Simeone is one of just two Argentines to have scored four goals in his first four Champions League matches, the other being his father Diego.

He opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a classy low finish from tricky angle after collecting Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s long ball over the top.

And the 27-year-old struck again five minutes later with his sixth goal of the season, this time powerfully heading home Mario Rui’s pinpoint cross.

Ostigard made sure the scoreline reflected the one-side nature of the match with a header of his own, this time scoring from a corner when completely unmarked on his Champions League debut.

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