Scott McTominay came to the rescue with two goals, as Napoli got their first Champions League points with a 4-3 thriller against Bodo/Glimt, taking the lead after 54 seconds.
The Partenopei were in crisis after losing both Champions League games to Arsenal and Villarreal, then falling 1-0 to rock bottom Serie A side Venezia on Saturday. Alisson Santos was the latest addition to the injury list with Antonio Vergara, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno, but Frank Anguissa got his first start since September 5 and Kevin De Bruyne was again made to be a playmaker.
Bodo/Glimt knocked Inter out in the play-offs last season, starting this term with a 5-0 loss at Bayern Munich and 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Odin Bjortuft returned from suspension, though Hakon Evjen, August Mikkelsen and Magnus Riisnaes were still sidelined.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
It was truly the perfect start, as within 54 seconds Leonardo Spinazzola stood up a cross for the spectacular Matteo Politano left-foot volley from 12 yards into the roof of the net.
Noa Lang stung the goalkeeper’s gloves after a long spell of possession, as did Giovanni Di Lorenzo from the edge of the area, but Alex Meret almost gifted a goal with a poor pass out from the back, rescued by the deeper than usual Kevin De Bruyne.
Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund struck the side-netting after getting away down the left, with Lang denied by a desperate save from eight yards.
Instead, Bodo/Glimt equalised at the end of a well-worked team move, Sondre Brunstad Fet laying it off for ex-Milan winger Jens Petter Hauge to bend the first-time finish into the far bottom corner off the inside of the right foot from 16 yards.
Bodo/Glimt then took control of the match, dominating possession and threatening to take the lead when Meret was almost left stranded by misreading the flight of the ball, scrambling an Ole Didrik Blomberg pull-back under control.
Napoli got back in front before half-time with McTominay’s first goal of the season, not to mention his first since undergoing heart surgery. He completed a quick give and go with De Bruyne, aided by the smart Lang dummy, and the finish took a big deflection off Jostein Gundersen to wrongfoot Nikita Haikin.
De Bruyne might not like the deeper playmaker role, but his inspired pass sent Politano down the right to test the goalkeeper moments later.
Blomberg wasted a golden opportunity to draw level, as after a cross went past Andreas Helmerson under pressure from Di Lorenzo, Blomberg couldn’t keep his header down from a slightly too powerful cross.
Meret also had to make a very difficult reaction save on Auklend’s flick from point-blank range, the ball getting stuck under his body.
McTominay nearly doubled his tally on the hour mark when running onto a De Bruyne assist only to smash the finish against the upright.
Moments later, they conceded instead, as the Brunstad Fet pass went through the legs of a defender and Helmersen was given too much time to turn between two, firing in from 12 yards.
Meret made a huge save to prevent Bodo/Glimt going 3-2 up on 66 minutes, getting down quickly to palm the ferocious Patrick Berg daisy-cutter round the upright.
Lang cut inside to test Haikin, but just as the Norwegians were dominating possession and frustrating the crowd, McTominay rose at the back post to nod in a Politano cross and restore Napoli’s lead.
It was wide open to the end, as Giovane harassed Sjovold into an error near the corner flag and his roll across for Hojlund was intercepted by Bjortuft, wrong-footing the goalkeeper.
Bodo/Glimt added a third with the final kick of the game, as the acrobatic Bjortuft volley bounced off the underside of the bar, so Sondre Brunstad Fet made sure.
Napoli 4-3 Bodo/Glimt
Politano 1 (N), Hauge 27 (B), McTominay 41, 76 (N), Helmersen 63 (B), Bjortuft og 88 (N), Brustad Fet 94 (B)
Player statistic
| Matteo Politano (Assist: Leonardo Spinazzola) |
1' | |||
| 27' | Jens Petter Hauge (Assist: Sondre Brunstad Fet) | |||
| Scott McTominay (Assist: Kevin De Bruyne) |
41' |
| Frank Anguissa | 48' | |||
| Noa Lang | 58' | |||
| 62' | Andreas Helmersen (Assist: Sondre Brunstad Fet) | |||
| Scott McTominay (Assist: Matteo Politano) |
75' | |||
| Giovanni Di Lorenzo |  |
87' | ||
| Odin Bjørtuft |  |
88' | ||
| 90+4' |  |
Sondre Brunstad Fet |
