Napoli Fan Says He Was Attacked Outside Anfield After UCL Loss to Liverpool

A Napoli fan has told an Italian newspaper that he was attacked outside Anfield following his side's 1-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday.

In interview with Corriere dello Mezzogiorno (h/t Football Italia) published on Thursday, the 24-year-old man from Vomero in Naples—named only as Mattia—said, "I thought I was going to die."

He told the newspaper he was "surrounded and beaten by up to seven people" at the Anfield Road exit of the ground.

According to the report, passers-by failed to stop and help Mattia, who said he suffered a fractured cheekbone and damage to one of his eye sockets, which could require surgery. A friend later joined him, and the pair were taken to hospital in a car they flagged down. 

A quote from the father of Mattia—who was given the trip by his parents as a present for graduating—read: "It's absurd to risk death for a football game."

Mohamed Salah's goal was enough to see the Reds clinch a 1-0 victory on Tuesday and advance to the Champions League round of 16, while Napoli finished third in Group C and will move into the UEFA Europa League.

On Wednesday, Tom Duffy of the Liverpool Echo reported that Merseyside police were also appealing for help after an attack in Everton Valley on a man believed to be a Napoli supporter from Essex.

It was noted the police had to deal with "a small number of incidents" but "thanked the majority of Liverpool and Napoli fans for their 'behaviour and cooperation.'"

It's not the first time this year that an attack has taken place at Anfield. In April, Liverpool supporter Sean Cox was left in a coma after he was assaulted in the build-up to their Champions League semi-final with AS Roma.