Napoli led inside eight minutes through Amir Rrahmani, then conceded three times before the hour to lose 3-1 at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica on matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League league stage. Mouriño, who plays as a defender, scored the decisive second-half goal in the first half to swing the tie, while Oluwaseyi wrapped things up in the 86th minute after coming off the bench. Massimiliano Allegri’s side, which had failed to score in its opening UCL fixture, now sits without a point from two appearances in the competition.
Key Moments
- 8′, Amir Rrahmani puts Napoli ahead, the defender finishing to give the visitors an early advantage and silence La Cerámica.
- 23′, Mikautadze pulls Villarreal level, converting to make it 1-1 and spark the home side into life.
- 26′, Mouriño turns the game on its head three minutes later, finishing from a Gerard Moreno assist to make it 2-1. The defender’s goal gives Villarreal a lead they would not relinquish.
- 60′, Napoli’s manager makes a double change, withdrawing Giovane and McTominay and sending on Lang and Spinazzola in an attempt to reshape the midfield.
- 86′, Oluwaseyi, on as a substitute since the 63rd minute, finishes off the win with a goal assisted by Ayoze Pérez, putting the result beyond any doubt at 3-1.
Tactical Breakdown
Villarreal set up in a 4-4-2 and ultimately controlled the ball better than the scoreline’s early wobble suggested. They finished with 52% possession, 16 total shots to Napoli’s 9, and an xG of 1.42 against 1.94 for the visitors. The Italian side actually created the higher expected goals total, which reflects a handful of decent chances that Milinković-Savić did not need to deal with, but Napoli converted only one of their 11 shots on and inside the box.
The decisive three-minute spell between the 23rd and 26th minutes changed everything. Mikautadze equalized and then Mouriño, operating from right back, put Villarreal in front with Gerard Moreno providing the assist. That lead held through halftime at 2-1, and when Iñigo Pérez brought on Oluwaseyi and Freeman for Moreno and Mikautadze at the 63rd minute, the home side did not lose shape. Oluwaseyi repaid the faith by scoring the third in the 86th minute after combining with Ayoze Pérez, who had himself only been introduced in the 83rd minute.
Napoli’s triple substitution at the hour mark, replacing Giovane, McTominay, and Politano simultaneously across one-minute window, was a statement of dissatisfaction from the bench. However, those changes did not alter the pattern of play. K. De Bruyne, who picked up a yellow card in the 62nd minute, had his quietest outing of the season by his own standards with a rating of 5.92, and Milinković-Savić was left to endure a difficult evening with minimal protection in front of him.
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Verdict
Villarreal bank their first three points of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League campaign after a determined second-half display. Napoli, meanwhile, are left with nothing from two games, with questions mounting around Allegri over the team’s defensive fragility and De Bruyne’s ability to influence the bigger games in Europe. The Italian side will need a sharp response when the league stage resumes.