Napoli put an end to Bayern Munich's 100 per cent record in the Champions League by holding them to a 1-1 draw.
Napoli stage comeback in 1-1 draw
Napoli put an end to Bayern Munich's 100 per cent record in the UEFA Champions League by holding them to a 1-1 draw in their Group A fixture in Italy on Tuesday evening.
Bayern surged ahead just two minutes after the start when Toni Kroos slotted home from close range after receiving Jerome Boateng's delivery from the right wing with ease.
That was the start of the German giants' domination of the game as they created a number of chances to increase their advantage thereafter and also controlled possession.
However, Napoli restored parity six minutes before the interval when Holger Badstuber turned the ball into his own goal in an attempt to clear Christian Maggio's cross from the right.
Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis kept the score at 1-1 at the start of the second half when he saved Mario Gomez's penalty, and although both sides had opportunities during the remainder of the match, they had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Scintillating start
The visitors were quick out of the blocks at the Stadio San Paolo and took the lead inside two minutes, with Kroos supplying the finish to Boateng's cross from the right.
Edinson Cavani tried his luck for Napoli in the seventh minute but his right-footed effort from 20 yards went wide.
Jupp Heynckes' side threatened with efforts from Philipp Lahm and Gomez, before Maggio's 21st-minute attempt for the hosts failed to test goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Daniel van Buyten's 26th-minute shot was blocked by Paolo Cannavaro, and then Boateng's volley for Bayern was parried by De Sanctis as the visitors continued to look the more threatening.
However, the home side were level in the 39th minute when Badstuber put the ball into his own net from close range as he attempted to deal with a Maggio cross.
Second-half action
The visitors from Bavaria were given a great opportunity to regain the lead in the early minutes of the second half when Cannavaro was penalised for handball inside his own penalty area.
However, Gomez's tame spot-kick was comfortably kept out by De Sanctis.
Bayern continued to pose more of a threat, with Thomas Muller shooting wide in the 55th minute and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk doing likewise four minutes later.
With 15 minutes remaining Kroos came close to a second goal but Walter Gargano blocked his effort from 25 yards.
In the 86th minute Bastian Schweinsteiger's 18-yard effort was saved by De Sanctis as Napoli held on for a point which keeps them in second place in the group, despite Manchester City's 2-1 win over Villarreal in England.
In spite of losing their winning streak in Europe's premier club competition this campaign, Bayern remain top of the group with seven points from three matches.
