Red Star Belgrade 0 Napoli 0: Points shared as Italians fail to make possession pay

Napoli missed an important chance for three points as it was held to a scoreless draw by Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.

Published : Sep 19, 2018 08:06 IST

Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik battles for the ball against Nenad Krsticic.
Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik battles for the ball against Nenad Krsticic.
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Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik battles for the ball against Nenad Krsticic.

Red Star Belgrade marked its return to Europe's grand stage with a battling 0-0 draw against a frustrated Napoli at Rajko Mitic Stadium on Tuesday.

The highly fancied visitor probed patiently from start to finish but was unable to deny the Serbian champion a hard-earned point on its first appearance in the competition for 26 years.

Though Lorenzo Insigne and Mario Rui both struck the crossbar either side of half-time, it was a largely unconvincing way for Napoli to commence its Champions League campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti may instead have to manufacture positive results against both Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain if his team is to escape a tough Group C.

Napoli's command of possession translated into few early scares for Red Star outside of an audacious Insigne rocket that came back off the woodwork.

Though his defence was under constant examination, Milan Borjan only had one real save to make before half-time, the goalkeeper smartly covering his near post to block Arkadiusz Milik's first-time effort in the 29th minute.

Napoli was again frustrated by the frame of the goal when Mario Rui skimmed a free-kick off the top of the bar soon after the restart as opportunities for the opener began to flow more regularly, Jose Callejon next having a mishit finish cleared off the line by Milan Rodic.

But genuine chances were ultimately too few to deserve a winner and the Serie A side could itself have been punished late in proceedings, David Ospina up to the test of a Richmond Boakye shot from the edge of the area.


What it means: Napoli not yet a threat

Napoli, at least on this evidence, seems destined to finish third in its group for the second season running.

It found it tough to slice open an opponent that showed little interest in attacking and does not yet appear a credible danger to denying Liverpool or PSG a place in the knockout rounds.


Pat on the back: Rodic a rock

Part of Serbia's World Cup squad, Red Star defender Rodic seems sure to add to his two international caps if he maintains the form of this excellent display.

The left-back was a steadying influence throughout the contest and produced two vital interceptions in the second half, the latter a match-saving clearance off the line from Callejon.


Boot up the backside: Milik not the right man

Poland striker Milik will be disappointed not to have made more of an impression with a starting opportunity ahead of Dries Mertens.

The 24-year-old cut an isolated figure despite his side's dominance, and should have done better with a rare sight of goal midway through the first half.


Key Opta stats:

- Red Star has not won any of its previous nine matches in the European Cup/Champions League against sides from Italy (D5 L4).
- Red Star has seen just two goals in its last six European matches (exc. qualifiers), with the Serbian side scoring once and conceding once.
- Red Star has kept a clean sheet in each of its last four European group stage matches, although it has only scored once in that period.
- Jose Callejon created seven goalscoring chances for Napoli against Red Star; a club record in the competition for a player.


What's next?

Red Star returns to domestic duty on Sunday to meet city rival Partizan Belgrade in the Eternal derby, while Napoli will hope to rediscover winning form in a trip to Torino.

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