Napoli reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history, as the runaway Serie A leaders cruised to a 5-0 aggregate victory over Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt.Frankfurt arrived in Naples with an enormous mountain to climb, and the Eagles knew they’d have to do it without their supporters inside the ground – although there was trouble in the city between hooligan firms and local police forces. Their task was huge, with the 2022 Europa League winners needing a three-goal win to progress to the last eight. Napoli had been beaten by this margin on their own turf just once since 2013, and they made their intentions clear early as Matteo Politano tested Kevin Trapp’s resolve in the opening minute.Trapp had already made 22 saves in the competition before kick-off, and he was quickly busy again, this time denying the irrepressible Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a trademark run at the heart of the defence. The Georgian would be denied once more before the break, but Frankfurt’s resolve was finally broken in first-half stoppage time. Politano’s cross from the right found the unmarked Victor Osimhen, who steered a delightful header into the far corner beyond the despairing Trapp, and duly becoming the first Napoli player to score in both legs of a UCL knockout tie in the process.The Leap of a striking god.Victor Osimhen perfectly times his jump to connect beautifully, putting it past Trapp. A goal of unique quality.His 6th headed ⚽️ of d Season.His 22nd ⚽️ of d season.His 50th ⚽️ in Napoli colours frm 90 apps (70 starts).The Monster Machine🔥 pic.twitter.com/FSifktWm5v— David C.O.L. Michael (@07SuperNerd) March 15, 2023 That all but killed the tie, handing the Partenopei a three-goal advantage on aggregate and setting them up for a cruise through to the quarter-finals after halftime – a task made even simpler by Osimhen doubling his tally within 10 minutes of the restart. Yet more brilliant build-up play saw Politano slot in Giovanni di Lorenzo, and the Napoli skipper drilled the ball across goal to find the Nigerian striker at the back post for a tap-in.Victor Osimhen does it againNapoli double their lead pic.twitter.com/Dfm593x94y— DEAN FOOTBALL⚽ (@DEANFOOTBALL1) March 15, 2023 A miserable night for Oliver Glasner’s men got even more sour when they conceded a penalty thanks to a Djibril Sow trip on Piotr Zieliński inside the area. Despite Osimhen being on a hat-trick, Zieliński stepped up himself to convert from 12 yards and put the icing on the cake of an historic night in Napoli’s history.GOAL | Napoli 3-0 Frankfurt⚽ ZielinskiSiga a página e não perca nenhum gol 🔥pic.twitter.com/VUcteAmtGc— VAR Tático (@vartatico) March 15, 2023 Elsewhere, Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in the second leg of their tie, as Los Blancos won 6-2 on aggregate to knock the Reds out of Europe’s premium club competition for a third consecutive season.Arriving at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and facing a three-goal deficit, Jürgen Klopp went all out by deploying four attackers in an attempt to inspire another miraculous UCL comeback for Liverpool. That decision certainly played into an all-action start, with Darwin Núñez being denied by Thibaut Courtois before Alisson Becker miraculously stopped Vinícius Júnior and Eduardo Camavinga in the opening 20 minutes. While Luka Modrić’s ambitious strike didn’t work the goalkeeper, it certainly caught the eye as it fizzed marginally over.Courtois was then called into action twice as he tipped venomous efforts from Núñez and Cody Gakpo wide. Even so, Liverpool didn’t provide the sustained aggression Klopp’s team selection had foreshadowed as the half drew to a close, although Los Blancos played a role in that as they masterfully established periods of control to take the sting out of the game. That continued into the second period and Alisson came out to stop Federico Valverde after he had been played through by Karim Benzema before the Frenchman saw a shot of his own blocked by Trent Alexander-Arnold.UCL: Superhuman Haaland scores five in 35 minutes, lucky Inter head to the quarterfinalsWith Los Blancos looking comfortable, Modrić flicked the ball over Alexander-Arnold and delivered a cross to Valverde, who couldn’t quite apply the finishing touch as his header flicked off the roof of the net on its way behind. Benzema was also unable to find the target after equally incisive play from Vinícius, with Liverpool’s energy levels slowly fading further as hopes of a comeback slipped away despite the scores being level on the night.Rubbing salt in Liverpool wounds, Madrid went ahead on the night as Vinícius recovered from making a mess of his own shot to tee up Benzema for a simple goal, as Los Blancos marked their milestone of becoming the first club to play 300 UCL games with a victory on their way to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Liverpool have suffered back-to-back losses and must now claw their way into the Premier League’s top-four if they are to play on the biggest stage next season.CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – LAST 16 ROUNDSecond leg07.03.Chelsea – Dortmund 2-0 (1-0)/Sterling 43, Havertz 53 pen/Benfica – Brugge 5-1 (2-0)/Rafa Silva 38, Ramos 45+2, 57, Joao Mario 71 pen, Neres 77 – Meijer 87/08.03.Tottenham – AC Milan 0-0Bayern Munich – PSG 2-0 (0-0)/Choupo-Moting 61, Gnabry 89/TuesdayPorto – Inter 0-0Man.City – RB Leipzig 7-0 (2-0)/Haaland 22 pen, 23, 45+2, 54, 57, Gundogan 49, De Bruyne 90+2/WednesdayReal Madrid – Liverpool 1-0 (0-0)/Benzema 79/Napoli – Eintr.Frankfurt 3-0 (1-0)/Osimhen 45+2, 53, ZIelinski 64 pen/***Quarter-finals draw will take place on Friday***
