Former Rangers defender Calvin Bassey and his new Ajax side were on the receiving end of a Champions League battering as the impressive Napoli won 1-6 in the Netherlands.
The current Serie A leaders came from behind to thrash the Dutch champions in their own backyard, ex-Gers star Bassey having to stick out the entire game as Napoli battered his team.
Mohammed Kudus gave Ajax the lead in unorthodox fashion as Kenneth Taylor’s shot deflect off him into the back of the net.
But this would be a faint glimmer of hope for Ajax who had been warned about Napoli’s goalscoring prowess as Giacomo Raspadori sent the ball narrowly wide earlier in the game.
It was the striker who equalised for the Italians less than ten minutes later and after this the floodgates appeared to open and Napoli ran riot.
Napoli hammer Ajax to top Rangers’ Champions League group
Napoli were 2-1 up just after the half-hour mark courtesy of a Giovanni Di Lorenzo header with Piotr Zielinski making it 3-1 with a cool finish after an explosive break just before half-time.
Moments after the restart Calvin Bassey was involved in a defensive cock-up as a loose Remko Pasveer pass was intercepted by the Napoli attack and Raspadori got his second.
More slack Ajax defending allowed Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia space at the edge of the box to play a one-two and finish with aplomb just after the hour mark.
Things went from bad to worse when Ajax captain Dusan Tadic was sent off for a second yellow card following a clash with Napoli winger Elif Elmas.
Giovanni Simeone then emphatically flicked past Ajax keeper Pasveer as ex-Rangers star Bassey struggled to keep up with the Napoli attack.
The result means Napoli have now won their opening three matches in Group A and are now one win away from qualification for the knockout stages.
In the other fixture, Rangers were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool with the Anfield club now second in the group, Ajax in the Europa League spot and the pointless Gers toiling at the bottom of the group.
Calvin Bassey joined Ajax from Rangers in the summer in a deal reportedly said to be worth up to £23m to the Ibrox club.
Meanwhile, Rangers murmurs around a Premier League rival are surely a wind-up given the bad blood between all parties involved.
