Napoli dampen Liverpool’s opener

Dries Mertens and Fernando Llorente scored late as holders Liverpool fell 2-0 at Napoli in the opening match of their Champions League title defence on Tuesday.

Mertens converted a penalty on 82 minutes and Llorente added a second in stoppage time as Napoli gained a measure of revenge for last season’s 1-0 defeat at Anfield.

The loss for Jurgen Klopp’s side makes them the first reigning European champions to lose their opening game of the following campaign since AC Milan in 1994.

“Give us a few more games to change the table, but it looks like Napoli are through,” said Klopp, who tipped the Italians to go far. “Napoli can win the competition. If you have a good plan and good players, you don’t have to be the best team in the world to win the Champions League. You have to perform at the right moment.”

Liverpool also lost their group-stage match in Naples last season before going on to lift a sixth European Cup.

“Being able to match Liverpool is impressive as they are the best team in Europe at the moment,” said Napoli boss Carlo Ancelotti.

But the three-time Champions League winning coach warned: “The season is long, there is still a long road ahead.”

Goalscorer Llorente joined Napoli this season after playing his last game for former club Tottenham in the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in Madrid in June. He came on as a substitute and pounced on a rare Virgil van Dijk blunder after Mertens had opened the scoring from the spot.

After two difficult opening matches in Serie A with seven goals conceded, Ancelotti’s side seem to have clicked into gear. Napoli defenders Kalidou Koulibaly and Mario Rui neutralised the threat of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Ancelotti praised his side for their “very orderly and compact” performance.

Fabian Ruiz was twice denied early by Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian, who also pulled off onehanded save from Mertens.

The breakthrough came eight minutes from time after Jose Callejon went down in the box under pressure from Andy Robertson, with Mertens slotting in the penalty, awarded without consultation of VAR.

“You want to have at least a point and we didn’t get that because of the penalty,” said Klopp.