Napoli prove too strong for Vllaznia

SSC Napoli are well placed to advance from the UEFA Cup second qualifying round after scoring three unanswered first-leg goals at KS Vllaznia. Two strikes from Inácio Piá and a late addition from Germán Denis gave the Italian side a commanding advantage ahead of their home decider on 28 August.

Piá strike
It was the Albanian champions, though, who started well at the Loro Boriçi Stadium, and Xheyahir Sukaj had two sights of goal within the first few minutes, but both his long-range effort and header were off target. The away side countered with Denis arriving just too late to turn in Marek Hamšík's pass. However, Napoli broke the deadlock after 28 minutes when right midfielder Christian Maggio made a surging run and crossed cleverly for Piá whose volley surprised home goalkeeper Bishani Olsi.

Second-half efforts
The same combination linked up again five minutes before half-time but this time the striker's shot went wide. The 1988/89 UEFA Cup winners did double their lead a minute after the break, though, when Pià beat Admir Teli to the ball and finished past Olsi. The hosts fought back, Sukaj forcing Napoli keeper Gennaro Iezzo into an excellent save but the killer blow for Vllaznia came with fifteen minutes remaining, when Denis latched on to Roberto De Zerbi's pass to finish the scoring.