Napoli remind Liverpool that nothing is a given in the Champions League

STADIO SAN PAOLO — It was not the glorious return you expected for reigning champions Liverpool in the Champions League.

An opening group stage defeat to Napoli, falling to two goals in the final 10 minutes, marking their first loss in 12 matches in a game which few of their supporters even attended, despite the occasion. They are still favourites to progress, of course, and on reflection those who stayed away will see the boycott as money well saved.

The club sold out their 2,558 allocation – fans still purchase the tickets to collect points to ensure future tickets (also an odd system) – but some estimates had the actual away attendance as merely in the hundreds. Can you blame them?

It is a damning indictment of Uefa that fans’ safety remains a concern to this day, but three Liverpool supporters were stabbed in Naples before a Europa League tie in 2010 and last year, when Liverpool travelled to the south of Italy in the group stage, another was hospitalised.

History of trouble

Those travelling had been warned not to wander the Naples streets and only drink and eat in hotels, hardly the fun, adventurous and often boozy mini-holidays that well-travelled, hardcore away supporters sacrifice much of their annual leave for each year in pursuit of their beloved club.

That, plus the long history of violence with Liverpool supporters and fans of Italian clubs – the Merseyside club far from always being the victims, it should be said – was enough to dissuade many from making the flight.

With that final victory against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid only four months ago and still fresh in the mind, they will be banking on plenty more to come again, but last night will be a reminder that nothing is a given in this competition.

Subdued atmosphere

The lack of Liverpool supporters was not the only noticeable absence. In fact, virtually the entire lower tier of Napoli’s Stadio San Paolo, into which the blue athletics track bizarrely cuts for one entire 100 metre straight, was empty, giving the impression the Champions League holders did not warrant a full house.

On the field it did not start with the routine dominance of the current Champions League holders, either, and it certainly did not end so. Admittedly, they were facing their toughest test in the group and manager Jurgen Klopp had made clear before the match that his side were far from the best in Europe, despite where the trophy every manager in European football covets currently resides. Early on, Fabian Ruiz forced Adrian into a quick double save, and Hirving Lozano finally headed the ball past Liverpool’s goalkeeper only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Virgil van Dijk comes into his own on nights like these and he showed why he is one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or, until stoppage time at least. Every ball into the box by a Napoli player was met by the seemingly skyscraper high Dutchman. When corner after corner was headed out of Liverpool’s penalty area by the same player you had to wonder and marvel at how Van Dijk is able to read the flight of a football to such a greater degree of accuracy than most other players in the world.

On the rare occasions Van Dijk was not able to be in every place at once at the back, Adrian was ready, pulling off a stunning flying save to keep out Dries Mertens’s close-range volley, five minutes into the second half. Adrian, still in for the injured Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, appeared to dive early as the ball looped to his back post, only to hang in the air longer than gravity tends to permit most people, just long enough for his hand to deny what looked a certain goal.

Koulibaly proves VVD’s match

For the sake of balance, there was an equally imperious defender, for 90 minutes at least, at the other end for the Italians. Liverpool’s attacks were more sporadic and on the break, but always Kalidou Koulibaly was there, in the way, blocking, heading, or diving with his head literally at Mohamed Salah on one occasion, when either the Egyptian or Sadio Mane came at Napoli’s defence with that speed would have been a fair match for anyone using that 100m track five metres away from one touchline.

Again, when Koulibaly was not there, midway through the second half, Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret tipped Salah’s low shot across goal inches wide of the far post.

Then the moment which decided the match arrived in the 80th minute. Van Dijk was desperately trying to sprint over but Andy Robertson brought down Jose Callejon for a Napoli penalty. As though wary of Adrian’s earlier inhuman heroics, Mertens drilled the ball brilliantly into the left of goal.

Then perhaps the shock of the night in stoppage time: a Van Dijk loose pass played in substitute Fernando Llorente to add the second. Welcome back to the Champions League, Liverpool.