Champions League · FC Porto - Napoli · Wed, 4 Nov, 21:00
FC Portovs
NapoliPorto 4-1 Napoli: Partenopei Concede 11 Goals in 4 Champions League Games
Porto win 4-1 and sit 26th on 3 points. Napoli are 27th on the same tally, but have the leakier defence of the two.
11 goals conceded in 4 games. That is the figure that stands out after Porto's 4-1 win over Napoli in the Champions League. Four goals shipped in one night is just the latest entry in a growing tally.
The table after the game
After this result, Porto and Napoli have identical records: 3 points from 4 games, 1 win and 3 defeats, 6 goals scored. Porto are 26th, Napoli 27th, out of 36 teams. Just one place separates them, but the goals against column reads 7 against 11.
On the pitch, the Portuguese side were clearly the better team.
Why Porto came in in better shape
Look at Porto's last 5 games across the league, the League Cup and the Champions League, most recent first:
- 4-0 vs Estoril in the Primeira Liga
- 1-0 vs Academico Viseu in the Taça da Liga
- 1-0 away at Gil Vicente in the league
- 0-1 vs PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League
- 2-3 away at Betis in the Champions League
That is 3 wins and 2 defeats, with 8 goals scored and 4 conceded. In Europe, Porto had lost both of their previous two, but in the league and the domestic cup they had rediscovered their solidity and their scoring touch. Against Napoli they scored 4, the same number they put past Estoril a few days earlier.
Napoli: plenty of goals, too many conceded
Napoli's last 5 games, across Serie A and the Champions League, describe a side that scores but leaves itself exposed:
- 0-2 away at Juventus
- 4-1 away at Monza
- 3-3 at home to Roma
- 4-3 at home to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League
- 0-1 away at Venezia
The record: 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats, 11 goals scored and 10 conceded. Napoli conceded at least 1 goal in all of their last 5 games before travelling to Porto. In the two games where they scored 4, they let in 1 and 3. Last night's 4-1 is another game with too many goals at the wrong end.
The night in Porto was no one-off. The 4-3 against Bodo/Glimt and the 3-3 with Roma were already warning signs of a defence that gives too much away.
What it means for Napoli's European campaign
Napoli have 3 points from 4 games and the highest number of goals conceded of the two sides: 11. They are 27th out of 36, and the table says they need points.
Porto have the same points total, but they come into this stretch off 3 wins in their last 5 and a emphatic win in front of their own fans. They are 26th, just one place ahead of Napoli.
What to watch in the coming days
For Napoli, one thing only: the defence. If they concede again in their next game, 3 points in the table becomes a serious problem. For Porto, the question is whether the 4-1 marks the start of a climb or a one-off. Keep an eye on goals against: it is the figure that separates the two sides in the table.
