Union Berlin suffered its ninth consecutive defeat as Giacomo Raspadori’s solitary goal enabled Napoli to clinch all three points on the road with a slender 1-0 victory during the third round of the Champions League’s group stage.
Union commenced defensively strong right from the opening whistle, allowing the visitors from Italy to take the initiative, Xinhua reports.
Napoli found it challenging to penetrate Union’s well-positioned defence, while the hosts thought they had broken the deadlock in the 24th minute, only for Janik Haberer’s goal to be ruled offside.
The Eisernen continued to seek counterattacking opportunities, but neither Brendan Aaronson nor David Datro Fofana could get past Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret before the half-time break.
Against the run of play, the visitors stunned Union in the 65th minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia maneuvered through the host’s territory before setting up Raspadori, who tapped home the opener from very close range.
Berlin frantically pressed for an equalizer, but Napoli’s defence remained unyielding, with Robin Knoche heading just wide in the closing stages.
With this outcome, last-placed Union Berlin experienced its third consecutive defeat in Group C, while Napoli secured its second win to ascend to the second spot.
“We are disappointed, of course. We played a great game for 90 minutes, but we get one shot on target and end up empty-handed. Still, we saw a lot of positive things today. At the end, you also must reward yourself or secure at least one point on home soil,” said Union coach Urs Fischer.