Napoli 2-1 Bodø/Glimt at half-time: McTominay edges a one-sided contest

Napoli lead Bodø/Glimt 2-1 at half-time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and the scoreline is the only thing about this Champions League night that flatters the visitors.

Matteo Politano needed less than a minute. Leonardo Spinazzola supplied the assist and Politano finished left-footed, an opener worth 0.11 xG that set the tone for a half in which Napoli did almost all of the attacking. It was the earliest possible statement, and for 26 minutes it looked like the game might run away from the Norwegian side entirely.

Bodø/Glimt's response came from nothing much at all. Jens Petter Hauge converted right-footed on 27 minutes, assisted by Sondre Brunstad Fet, from a chance valued at 0.07 xG. It was one of only two shots the visitors managed before the break, and the only one on target. Against a half in which Napoli racked up 12 attempts, Hauge's finish was a heist.

Scott McTominay restored the lead on 41 minutes, right-footed, from a Kevin De Bruyne assist. The goal capped the most productive individual half on the pitch: McTominay's 0.44 xG was the highest of any player, more than three times Politano's 0.14 and clear of Noa Lang's 0.39, which went unrewarded. De Bruyne's own contribution was quieter — 0.03 xG — but the assist was the decisive touch of the half.

Both sides lined up 4-3-3. The shapes matched; the output did not. Napoli's 12 shots to Bodø/Glimt's two, and six on target to one, describe a half played largely in one direction. Napoli put 23 touches in the box to Bodø/Glimt's 11 and created the half's only big chance. The visitors won 14 duels to Napoli's 17, so the physical contest was closer than the shot count suggests — but duels won in midfield do not win matches when the ball never reaches the box.

The underlying numbers say this should not be a one-goal game. Napoli generated 1.21 xG across the first half, all of it from open play, against Bodø/Glimt's 0.10. Possession was closer than the chances — 52 per cent to 48 — and Bodø/Glimt matched Napoli for accurate passes, 254 at 90 per cent to Napoli's 275 at 92 per cent. They moved the ball well enough. They just did not get near goal. Both sides committed two fouls and neither picked up a yellow card, a clean half by the standards of a Champions League night with this much at stake.

Hauge's finish is the reason the second half has something to play for. On the balance of the half, it is the outlier, not the pattern. Napoli have the lead, the chances and the individual form. Bodø/Glimt have one goal and 45 minutes to find another.