BY OUR MAN IN NAPLES
JOAO PEDRO proved he is the real “Special One” in Naples last night as his stunning double sent Chelsea screaming into the Champions League knockout stages.
The Brazilian ace turned the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona into his own personal playground, bagging two world-class goals to seal a 3-2 win and leave former Blues boss Antonio Conte facing a European nightmare.
Penalty Perfection
Chelsea drew first blood when Enzo Fernandez kept his cool from the spot.
After a handball by Juan Jesus in the 19th minute, the Argentine midfield general stepped up and smashed his penalty past Alex Meret to give Liam Rosenior’s men the dream start. But the Italian giants didn’t take it lying down.
The home crowd went wild when local lad Antonio Vergara produced a moment of magic, spinning past the Chelsea defense to fire home a deserved equalizer.
Just before the break, the roof nearly blew off the stadium.
Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund haunted his parent club’s rivals by ghosting past Wesley Fofana to poke Napoli ahead.
At half-time, Chelsea were staring at the play-offs, and Conte was dreaming of a comeback.
Enter Joao Pedro. On the hour mark, the striker picked up the ball 25 yards out, danced away from his marker, and unleashed a rocket into the top corner. It was a strike that even the great Maradona would have applauded.
But he wasn’t finished. With just eight minutes left on the clock, Pedro played a slick one-two with Cole Palmer before driving a low finish into the bottom corner to silence the Naples faithful.
There was still time for late drama. In the dying seconds, former Chelsea man Romelu Lukaku thought he’d snatched a point, but Robert Sanchez produced a fingertip save to ensure the Blues finished sixth in the league phase.
While Chelsea celebrate a direct ticket to the Round of 16, it’s curtains for Napoli. For Conte, it’s another European flop to add to the collection. For the Blues, the star-studded dream of Munich is very much alive.
