RANGERS Under-19s sealed a 3-2 win over Napoli to get their UEFA Youth League campaign back on track after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Ajax last week in the opening group stage fixture.
Displaying a maturity that belied their tender years, the Scots quickly established themselves as the dominant team in Glasgow’s west end, racing into a deserved 2-0 lead at the break courtesy of goals from Mackenzie Strachan and Charlie Lindsay.
Napoli pulled one back through Enrico Giannini as the game approached the hour-mark before Robbie Ure restored his side’s two-goal lead with 20 minutes to go. The visitors threatened a late comeback and made it 3-2 with a few minutes left to play but it was too little, too late for the Italians.
Here are three talking points from the contest in Maryhill.
Napoli out-fought and out-thought
The Italians lost 2-1 to Liverpool in their opening Youth League fixture and they endured a difficult first 45 minutes here. Rangers simply worked far harder, with the home players constantly on the move and ensuring the man in possession had multiple options to pass to, while the front three of Zak Lovelace, Ross McAusland and Ure – who led the line brilliantly throughout – refused to allow their opponents to build out from the back as they pressed them relentlessly.
It didn’t take long for David McCallum’s side to settle into the contest and they were assured on the ball, cutting Napoli open frequently during an impressive first half with incisive attacking play. The visitors improved after the break and Rangers’ play wasn’t quite as free-flowing – and the Italians offered a greater threat going forward in the second half – but this was still a well-deserved win for the Rangers youngsters.
Lovelace and Nsio catch the eye
Lovelace, the 16-year-old attacker recruited from English Championship outfit Milwall earlier this year, and Paul Nsio, playing at the tip of the midfield in the No.10 position, were the two standouts for Rangers.
The former was a menace on the left wing throughout the contest, giving his opposing full-back a torrid time, while the latter’s lung-busting runs from deep often caught out the Napoli defence. The pair’s decision-making could have been better on occasion but they often found themselves waltzing forward into the final third and the Italians struggled to pick them up.
The two players were brought off once Ure made it 3-1 with around 20 minutes to go and the pair can both reflect on a productive afternoon. Rangers’ attacking play was often fluid, and it was Nsio and Lovelace who were often at the heart of it.
Lapses at back should be a concern
Napoli’s attackers barely had a sniff throughout this match yet the away side still managed to get on the score-sheet twice; surely a cause of frustration for McCallum.
The central defensive partnership of Connor Allan and Lewis MacKinnon was generally solid, limiting Napoli to very little goalscoring opportunities of note, but the occasional lapse in concentration proved costly.
Right-back Jack Harkness, impressive throughout, found himself out of position for Napoli’s first goal as he afforded Giannini plenty of time and space to pick his spot, while the second was also a result of some sloppy play at the back.
The back four can look back on their overall performance with a sense of pride, but the two goals they shipped offer a valuable lesson, too: at this level, you simply cannot allow for momentary lapses. The opposition will rarely let you away with it.
