Joao Pedro fires Chelsea into Champions League last 16, dumps out Napoli
Joao Pedro fired Chelsea into the last 16 of the Champions League with a brace in Wednesday's 3-2 win at Napoli which secured a top-eight finish and eliminated their Italian opponents.
Brazil forward Joao Pedro lashed home two brilliant goals in the second half in Naples as Chelsea came back from a goal behind at half-time and finished the league phase in sixth place.
Chelsea looked set for a play-off spot at the break as injury-ravaged Napoli, who had to win to stay in the competition, led through goals from Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund.
But Joao Pedro smashed Chelsea level in the 61st minute and then gave the away side a huge win with eight minutes remaining from Cole Palmer's pass.
His goals continued Liam Rosenior's impressive start as Chelsea boss, with five wins from his six first matches in the dugout at the London club.
Chelsea's only defeat in that run was a narrow loss to Premier League leaders Arsenal in the English League Cup and the Blues showed fight and composure to win in a hostile atmosphere in Naples.
Napoli were missing a host of potential starters, including long-term absentees Kevin De Bruyne and Andre-Frank Anguissa, and exit the Champions League with a brave performance at the end of a deeply disappointing European campaign.
Antonio Conte's team were applauded off the field at the final whistle in appreciation for Napoli's courageous, but vain attempt to stay in Europe's top club competition.
Napoli were livid at the awarding of the penalty from which Enzo Fernandez gave Chelsea the lead in the ninth minute but that decision, for a Juan Jesus handball, galvanised the Italians.
The hosts immediately piled pressure on Chelsea, and it was a magical solo effort from Vergara which brought Napoli level, the forward brilliantly spinning Wesley Fofana before poking a smart low finish under Robert Sanchez.
Vergara, a Napoli academy product, charged off the pitch in joy at his first goal in just his fifth start for his boyhood club.
The 23-year-old had spent the previous two seasons on loan at Reggiana in Italy's second tier and was only playing due to Napoli's chronic injury problems.
Ten minutes later there was bedlam in the stands in honour of Hojlund, who expertly nipped in front of the out-of-sorts Fofana to smash home Mathias Olivera's low cross.
Pushed on by the crowd, Napoli continued in the same vein after the break but the ground was stunned into silence by Joao Pedro's rocket of a strike which brought the match level again.
If that strike was a sucker punch, his second, a powerful low finish after charging almost unopposed into the Napoli area, was a knockout blow.
(U.Beriyev--DTZ)
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