Rudi Garcia blows, Naples wins but struggles to seduce

2023-09-20 23:13:15

Under fire from critics, the French technician from Naples did the job against Braga (2-1) in the Champions League. Without shining either.

Naples won on Wednesday evening against Sporting Braga (2-1) but the reigning Italian champion club had difficulty confirming its status as favorite of this poster, during the first day of the group stage of the Champions League.

The players of the Italian team, led by French coach Rudi Garcia, were offensive, but despite repeated incursions into the Braga area, they struggled to achieve success. The Portuguese sounded the alarm in the Neapolitan defense from the very first minutes, thanks to a shot from Ricardo Horta, which was ultimately deflected.

A victory for Naples which will not dispel all doubts

Then, the Neapolitans missed an opportunity to score when, in the 34th minute, the referee whistled a penalty for Naples, after a foul by Niakaté on Osimhen, before finally canceling it. The Italians had to wait until the end of the first period. It was the team captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo who opened the scoring (45+1) with a powerful strike.

In the second half, Naples is looking for the second goal at all costs, but the team is struggling. The Portuguese take advantage of it. Barely a few minutes from the end of the match, striker Armindo Bruma equalized (84th) and brought some 20,000 spectators at the Braga municipal stadium to their feet. A few minutes later, Naples widened the gap thanks to an own goal from Braga’s Malian central defender Sikou Niakaté.

Napoli, who are going through a crisis of confidence, falling five points behind the leader, Inter, after only four days, sought Wednesday evening to prove their superiority. But Garcia’s men found a motivated team in front of them, making their return to the Champions League after eleven years of absence.

A presence made possible thanks to its career in the championship last season where the Minho team finished in third place allowing it to secure a place for the qualifications.