Napoli and Athletic Club drew 1-1 in the first-leg of the Champions League play-off round at the San Paolo in Naples.
A first half strike by Iker Muniain was cancelled out by a brillant 67th minute equalizer by Gonzalo Higuain in a very entertaining game in Naples
Napoli started the game very brightly and in the second minute captain Marek Hamsik headed over from a right wing cross from Higuain.
A minute later the Slovak again had a good chance but shot wide of Gorka Iraizoz goal after a pass from Lorenzo Insigne.
Not long after, the Partenopei created their best chance of the half when a fantastic through-ball from Jorginho found Insigne inside the box and onside but the wide man failed to connect properly and the ball rolled through to Iraizoz in the Athletic goal.
Athletic created their first chance a minute later when Aritz Aduriz had a shot that flew across the box after a nice through-ball from Benat Exebarria.
Napoli continued to look the better side and a free kick from Jose Callejon found defender Kalidou Koulibaly on the far post whose cross found Hamsik, but his half volley flew over from the edge of the area.
Up the other end midway through the first half Athletic had a great chance to make the break through but a corner from Benat was narrowly headed wide from Aymeric Laporte to the relief of Rafael in the Napoli goal.
But the La Liga side didn’t have to wait to much longer for the opening goal of the game as, on 41 minutes, a great run and cross down the right by Oscar de Marcos found Muniain in space and his low drive from inside the area beat Rafael by his left hand post and put the Spaniards in front at the break.
The away side enjoyed good possession at the start of the second half but it was Napoli who created the first decent chance when Callejon ran on to a Hamsik pass but his low shot was saved by Iraizoz.
Napoli made the first substitution of the game with Insigne, who was booed as he went off, replaced by Dries Mertens.
The home side started to pile on the pressure and got the equalizer after Hamsik found Higuain just outside the box and the Argentine did brilliantly to squeeze through the Athletic defence and fired a low right foot shot across the box into the far corner.
Two minutes later the home side should have taken the lead when a through-ball from Higuain found Callejon on the right on the area but his shot when wide of the near post to the howls of derision from the San Paolo stands.
Napoli made another change on seventy-seven minutes when captain Hamsik was replaced by their recent signing from Swansea City Michu. And the substitute had a great chance to put the home side in front with 10 minutes left to play, but inexplicably passed to Callejon when he had the goal at his mercy after a cross into the box from Miguel Britos.
Napoli continued to mount the pressure and a great run from Mertens down the left found Higuain in the box but his instinctive left foot shot was miraculously saved by Iraizoz in goal.
The result leaves Napoli needing a win or score draw at the San Mames in a week’s time.
