Napoli fumbled a 2-0 lead, but beat Leicester City 3-2 to secure their place in the Europa League Round of 32.
The Partenopei missed Victor Osimhen, Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabian Ruiz, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka. Leicester were dealing with a COVID outbreak affecting seven players and three members of staff, but Youri Tielemans returned from a calf injury.
It was an incredibly close group with Leicester top on eight points, Spartak Moscow and Napoli seven, then Legia Warsaw six.
Within the opening two minutes, a combination of Alex Meret and Mario Rui’s goal-line clearance denied Timothy Castagne relatively unmarked at the back post.
However, moments later Napoli won the ball back in midfield with Piotr Zielinski, Andrea Petagna spread it and Adam Ounas scored with a splendid snooker shot of an angled drive into the far bottom corner.
The second goal was well-worked, as Zielinski threaded through for Petagna, who intelligently and altruistically rolled it across for Eljif Elmas to deposit into the empty net from nine yards.
Leicester got back into it, as a James Maddison free kick ricocheted around the box, Johnny Evans reacting quickest to fire in.
Another set play proved Napoli’s undoing, as again it was not cleared properly and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall blasted in from the edge of the area.
There was more bad news, as Hirving Lozano accidentally tripped and collided with Wilfred Ndidi’s thigh, knocking out a tooth and seeing him stretchered off. It’s a recurring problem for the Mexico international, who needed surgery for a nasty gash over his eye while playing in the Gold Cup in July.
Straight after the restart, Ounas forced a sensational one-handed save from Kasper Schmeichel at the near post, while Elmas nodded a corner wide at the back stick.
They restored their lead with Giovanni Di Lorenzo pulling back from the by-line, a wonderful Elmas first touch allowing him to control and score from nine yards.
Di Lorenzo almost gifted an equaliser moments later with his horrible clearance, but Maddison could only hit the upright of an open goal.
Jamie Vardy hit the side-netting on a Patson Daka knockdown, but Schmeichel needed another sensational save with a forearm on Kevin Malcuit from point-blank range.
Napoli would even have won the group if Legia Warsaw hadn’t missed a stoppage-time penalty in their 1-0 home defeat to Spartak Moscow, but as it ends they go through as runners-up, while Leicester transfer to the Conference League.
Napoli 3-2 Leicester
Ounas 4 (N), Elmas 24, 53 (N), J Evans 27 (L), Dewsbury-Hall 33 (L)