NAPOLI achieved something which they could not even manage during their glorious Diego Maradona era back in the 1980s and 1990s when they racked up their 12th consecutive victory tonight.
It is the hottest streak of form in I Partenopei’s entire 97 year existence, a run which shows why so many feel they can win Serie A this season and possibly even challenge for the Champions League.
Their comfortable 3-0 triumph over Rangers means their opponents could soon have an unwanted record of their own – the worst group stage showing in the history of Europe’s premier club competition.
Dinamo Zagreb currently hold that dubious honour; the Croatian club lost all six of their matches and posted a -19 goal difference in the process back in the 2011/12 campaign.
If Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team lose to Ajax at Ibrox in their final Group A match next week they could finish with an even more lamentable account.
They have, like Luxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest, nul points after five outings, have conceded 19 times and have netted just once. A 2-0 loss will complete their misery.
Bizarrely, they can theoretically still finish third and secure a place in the Europa League preliminary knockout round if they win their final fixture by more than four. But there was very little in their display here to suggest they are capable of such an emphatic triumph.
They were completely outclassed by an understrength Napoli, who now just need to draw with Liverpool at Anfield next week to finish top and be seeded in the last 16 draw next month, and were fortunate not to suffer another heavy and humiliating reverse. They had a lot to thank Allan McGregor for at the end of the 90 minutes.
Van Bronckhorst had promised to make changes at his pre-match press conference and he was true to his word. Ridvan Yilmaz came in to replace Borna Barisic at left back, James Sands took over from Steven Davis in central midfield, Scott Wright was fielded on the right of the threequarter line instead of Scott Arfield and Alfredo Morelos got the nod up front ahead of Antonio Colak.
Van Bronckhorst has overseen some improbable victories on foreign fields during his reign; few of their followers gave them much hope when they travelled to play Borussia Dortmund in Germany last term or PSV Eindhoven in his native Netherlands earlier this season.
Could he produce another one against the form side in Italy, in Europe even, and salvage a little pride from what has been a difficult, demoralising and at times harrowing campaign? It proved to be an impossible task.
Yilmaz had impressed in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Dundee seven days earlier. But this was a step up and then some for the Turkish internationalist. The experiment did not work. The 21-year-old endured a torrid night.
The opening goal in the 11th minute originated down his flank. Matteo Politano cut inside, fed Giovanni Simeone and the striker took a touch before slotting beyond Allan McGregor from a tight angle. It was way too easy.
His second five minutes later was just as bad from a Rangers perspective. Tavernier should have done far better when Mario Rui broke down the left wing. The left back was allowed to square into the six yard box and his team mate converted with a diving header.
It was a fine finish from the Argentinian, the son of Atletico Madrid manager Diego, and will do his hopes of receiving a call up to his national squad for the Qatar 2022 finals next month no harm at all. Once again, though, he did not have to work very hard for his goal.
Luciano Spalletti’s charges bossed possession thereafter and could have been ever further ahead at half-time; Tanguy Ndombele hit the crossbar with a thunderous shot after being teed up by Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Giacomo Raspadori tested McGregor when Matteo Politano found him with a deft chip.
Rangers did have their moments in the final third. Malik Tillman jinked his way through the hosts before Kim Min-jae slid in to block his attempt and Morelos forced a save from Alex Meret.
Van Bronckhorst threw on Fashion Sakala for Wright at the start of the second-half to inject some energy into his side’s attacking endeavours.
Simeone, though, went close to completing his hat-trick twice soon after play resumed. The South American forward chipped over McGregor only to see his effort bounce over the crossbar and then fired at the Scot shortly after.
Morelos came within inches of turning a Yilmaz delivery into the net in the 66th minute. Colak then took over from him to see if he could fare any better. Arfield came on for Tillman and Borna Barisic replaced Leon King. But Leo Ostigard made it three at a Raspadori corner with 10 minutes remaining.
The old Stadio San Paolo, renamed after their greatest player following his death two years ago, was far from full.
There were no travelling supporters in the 39,835-strong crowd due to a UEFA ruling. But the atmosphere was, perhaps due to a place in the knockout rounds already being secured, maybe because the visitors lacked the stature of their other section rivals, strangely subdued.
There promise to be a few memorable evenings in the ground in the coming months if Napoli maintain their current form. Rangers can only hope they avoid utter humiliation.
