AAP Soccer

Made in Manchester: Napoli hail De Bruyne & McTominay

By AAP Newswire

Aug 24, 2025

De Bruyne and McTominay — Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay celebrate as they both scored on Serie A's opening day. -AP

Napoli's former Premier League players have lit up Serie A on the opening day of the new season.

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Kevin De Bruyne netted on his debut and Scott McTominay scored the opener as Antonio Conte's team kicked off their Serie A title defence with a comfortable 2-0 win at Serie B champions Sassuolo.

McTominay joined Napoli from Manchester United last year in a move that was so successful he ended up being named Serie A's player of the year.

And the 28-year-old picked up from where he left off last season by scoring Napoli's first goal of the new campaign in the 17th minute on Saturday, peeling away from his marker to head Matteo Politano's cross from the right into the top near corner.

McTominay also sent a fierce effort crashing off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time, while Politano hit the post before Napoli doubled their lead in somewhat strange circumstances.

De Bruyne whipped in a free-kick from wide on the left — practically on the touchline — and it went over everyone in the area before bouncing on the ground and going into the far bottom corner.

The 34-year-old De Bruyne, a two-time Premier League player of the season, joined Napoli in June on a free transfer after 10 years at Manchester City, becoming one of the Premier League's greatest players.

Sassuolo ended the match with 10 men after midfielder Ismael Kone was sent off following a second yellow card, with 11 minutes remaining.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press