Napoli earned a hard‑fought 2‑0 home victory over Qarabag in the Champions League.

Napoli finally broke their slump, securing a 2‑0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against resilient Qarabag.

A Scott McTominay header and an own goal from Marko Janković settled the match, giving the Azzurri a much‑needed boost after winning just one of their first four games.

Both sides sit on seven points each – Napoli in 18th place, Qarabag in provisional 16th – in the league‑phase standings. The visitors from Azerbaijan put up a gritty fight, pressing high and forcing Napoli to battle for every inch of the pitch.

Qarabag started aggressively, with Emmanuel Addai firing a powerful low drive wide early on. Napoli’s patient build‑up struggled to trouble the visitors until David Neres’s overhead kick was met by an acrobatic save from goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.

The first half remained goalless despite chances for both sides. Addai had another shot deflected into the side netting, and Napoli’s rhythm was disrupted by Qarabag’s pressure. “The first minutes were difficult, too many mistakes but that can happen,” McTominay told reporters.

After the break, Qarabag continued to threaten. Camilo Duran hit a wide‑angle effort that Vanja Milinković‑Savić held, and a controversial penalty was called for a foul on Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Kochalski, however, kept Rasmus Højlund at bay with a one‑handed save.

Napoli seized the breakthrough in the 65th minute. From a corner, Kochalski fumbled a clearance and McTominay was on hand to head home the rebound. Seven minutes later, his attempted overhead kick was turned into an own net by Janković, sealing the win.

The victory came on the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death, with Napoli fans filling the stadium with scarves, flags and t‑shirts in his memory.

McTominay, Serie A Player of the Season last term, said: “Incredible, the crowd here is something iconic. I think of many dreams we’ve achieved and those we still want to achieve for this club.”