Soccer-Napoli sink Ajax to keep up 100% record and reach last 16

NAPLES, Italy : Napoli kept up their 100 per cent record in the Champions League group phase and secured progress to the knockout stages by beating Ajax Amsterdam 4-2 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday.

Early goals from Hirving Lozano and Giacomo Raspadori put the Serie A leaders comfortably ahead by the 16-minute mark and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second-half penalty after Davy Klaassen had pulled one back for Ajax.

The Dutch club made a desperate bid for a share of the spoils as Steven Bergwijn converted an 83rd-minute penalty to bring the score back to 3-2 but a horror defensive error allowed Victor Osimhen to score Napoli’s fourth in the final minute.

Napoli’s 12-point haul means they are guaranteed a top-two finish in Group A, having scored 17 goals in four matches.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)