NAPOLI REACHED THE Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare after a flamboyant 4-2 victory over Ajax maintained their 100 percent start in this year’s competition.

Luciano Spalletti’s side have four wins from four and a perfect 12 points at the top of Group A thanks to Hirving Lozano, Giacomo Raspadori, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, whose goals took their European tally to an incredible 17.

Nine points separate the Serie A leaders from third-placed Ajax, who can still make it through with two wins from their final two matches against Liverpool and Rangers.

“It was brilliant, the team put in some great work and we are really happy to win and go through,” said Lozano.

Alfred Schreuder’s team gave a much better account of themselves than they did in the 6-1 thrashing Napoli inflicted on them in Amsterdam last week and kept the game alive until the final seconds through Davy Klaassen and Steven Bergwijn.

But they couldn’t stop an irrepressible Napoli team who are yet to lose a match this season in Italy or on the continent and had a packed Stadio Maradona dreaming that this could be their year.

Surprise package Club Brugge also booked their place in the last 16 with a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid.

Napoli players celebrate. Ciro Fusco Ciro Fusco

The Belgian side are guaranteed to progress from Group B after keeping Diego Simeone’s side at bay in Madrid, and finished the game with 10 men after Kamal Sowah was sent off in the final stages.

Brugge stunned Atletico last week at home with a 2-0 win and although they dropped their first points of the competition at the Metropolitano, still secured qualification for the knock-out rounds.

Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet made a series of impressive saves to deny the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa, frustrating the Spanish side, who are on four points from four games, six behind Group C leaders Brugge.

© Agence France-Presse