Villarreal defeated Napoli 3-1 at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

The UEFA Champions League league phase match between Villarreal and Napoli took place on 13 October 2026 at the Estadio de la Cerámica in Villarreal. Both clubs entered the fixture looking to collect points in the competition’s group stage, with the home side enjoying the support of their own fans.

How it unfolded

The opening moments saw Napoli take the lead early. In the 8th minute, defender Amir Rrahmani headed a corner home with a right-footed shot from very close range, sending the ball into the bottom right corner and putting the visitors ahead 1-0.

Villarreal responded swiftly. Their equaliser arrived in the 23rd minute when Georges Mikautadze unleashed a left-footed strike from a difficult angle on the left side, finding the centre of the goal to level the score at 1-1.

Just three minutes later, Villarreal seized the initiative. Santiago Mouriño, assisted by Gerard Moreno, fired a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner in the 26th minute, restoring the home side’s lead to 2-1.

The first half ended with Villarreal ahead, and the game’s discipline began to surface. In the 33rd minute, Georges Mikautadze received a yellow card for a bad foul.

The second half saw further bookings. Napoli’s Giovane was cautioned for a bad foul in the 55th minute, followed by teammate Kevin De Bruyne in the 62nd minute for a similar infringement. Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba was shown a yellow card in the 67th minute.

Near the end of the match, Napoli’s Giovanni Di Lorenzo was booked for a bad foul in the 85th minute.

The decisive blow for Napoli came in the 86th minute when Tani Oluwaseyi capitalised on a chance created by Ayoze Pérez. The Villarreal forward struck a left-footed shot from the centre of the box into the high centre of the goal, extending the lead to 3-1 and sealing the result.

Standout performers

Georges Mikautadze opened the scoring for Villarreal with a well-taken strike, while Santiago Mouriño added a second goal, benefitting from Gerard Moreno’s assist. Tani Oluwaseyi’s late finish, set up by Ayoze Pérez, completed the scoring trio. For Napoli, Amir Rrahmani’s early header was the only goal for the visitors.

Match facts

  • Final score: Villarreal 3-1 Napoli
  • Scorers:
    • 8' Amir Rrahmani (Napoli)
    • 23' Georges Mikautadze (Villarreal)
    • 26' Santiago Mouriño (Villarreal) – assist: Gerard Moreno
    • 86' Tani Oluwaseyi (Villarreal) – assist: Ayoze Pérez
  • Bookings:
    • Georges Mikautadze (Villarreal) – 33'
    • Giovane (Napoli) – 55'
    • Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli) – 62'
    • Nathan Saliba (Villarreal) – 67'
    • Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli) – 85'
  • Venue: Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal

What it means

The 3-1 win gives Villarreal three points in the UEFA Champions League league phase, while Napoli return to the group with a single point from the encounter. Both teams will look to build on these results in their upcoming fixtures.