Vergara's stunning goal evokes Maradona magic in Napoli's crucial Champions League match

However, in the end it counted for little as Napoli went on to lose 3-2 to Chelsea and Antonio Conte's team was eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday.

Napoli's Antonio Vergara, center, celebrates with his teammate Scott McTominay, left, and Leonardo Spinazzola after scoring his side's first goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Napoli and Chelsea on January.28, 2026. (Photo | AP)

NAPLES: Napoli midfielder Antonio Vergara scored a stunning goal that had echoes of Diego Maradona in the stadium named after the Argentine soccer great.

It was an impressive way for the locally born, 23-year-old Vergara to score his first goal for Napoli and his first in the Champions League.

However, in the end it counted for little as Napoli went on to lose 3-2 to Chelsea at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and Antonio Conte's team was eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday.

Napoli was trailing 1-0 against Chelsea in a game that it needed to win to keep its hopes of progressing alive when Vergara leveled in the 33rd minute.

Vergara collected a loose ball and surged toward goal before beating Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana with a lovely pirouette and firing across into the bottom left corner.

The goal had the home fans on their feet.

Rasmus Højlund gave Napoli the lead shortly before halftime but João Pedro leveled for Chelsea in the 61st minute and scored a late winner.

Enzo Fernández had scored the opener from the penalty spot in the 16th minute.

Chelsea's Joao Pedro celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Napoli and Chelsea, in Naples, Italy, Wednesday, January.28, 2026. (Photo | AP)