(E)Rasmus surpassed, the best-ever Højlund gifts Napoli victory at Cremona | OneFootball

Cremonese compact but not very dangerous and struggling to contain the Dane, who with a remarkable brace gives his team a crucial victory to stay at the top of the standings.

(E)Rasmus surpassed. The best Højlund ever gives Napoli the victory in Cremona

The match is decided by a brace from the Dane in the first half. The home team is more enterprising in the second half, but the Azzurri concede nothing

At the Zini stadium, Antonio Conte's Azzurri seek answers away from Maradona, while Davide Nicola's team wants to confirm their excellent home performance.

After the triumph in the 2025 Italian Super Cup, Antonio Conte's Napoli returns to focus on the league for the last match of the calendar year. The Azzurri visit Davide Nicola's Cremonese, one of the revelations of the first half of Serie A, in a match that could impact the race at the top. Milan and Inter remain in sight, and every point becomes crucial.

Cremonese-Napoli is not just any match. It is the last game of 2025, but above all, it is the test that must show whether Antonio Conte's team has truly absorbed the Super Cup victory in Riyadh or if they risk suffering from the classic "celebration hangover." A key technical and mental test to understand what kind of Napoli will accompany the start of the new year. Antonio Conte knows it well: the biggest danger is not the opponent, but the approach. The coach has been working for days to avoid any drop in tension after the Arab triumph, aware that enthusiasm can be a resource or a boomerang.

Davide Nicola's team is not just a simple end-of-year obstacle. Cremonese plays with intensity, takes advantage of the home factor, and also relies on the experience and ruthlessness of Vardy, an offensive reference capable of striking at any moment. It is precisely against him that Conte expects the "step change" from Napoli away, that signal awaited for weeks. And the most important signal comes from Rasmus.

Højlund's brace against Cremonese marks a significant moment in his Serie A season. With these two goals, the Danish striker reaches 6 goals in just 12 appearances, already surpassing the 4 goals in 32 matches he scored last year with Manchester United in the Premier League.

This increase in offensive performance highlights a clear improvement: Højlund has practically doubled his effectiveness in front of the goal compared to his time in England. Opta data confirms this leap in performance, emphasizing how the striker is quickly establishing himself as an undisputed protagonist in Napoli's attack.

The 2-0 victory in Cremona consolidates the positive moment of Antonio Conte's team, which after the Super Cup success has maintained momentum and determination, without conceding a goal. The competition with an Arab flavor did not affect the group's energy, which showed concentration and organization even against a less rated opponent.

Højlund opens the scoring before the quarter-hour mark by taking advantage of a rebound, while the second goal comes at the end of the first half thanks to a "dirty" assist from McTominay. Cremonese tries to pose a threat in the second half, taking advantage of some defensive lapses from Napoli, but the most concrete among the Grigiorossi remains McTominay, stopped twice by an excellent Audero.

With this success, Napoli immediately responds to Milan and Juventus, returning to second place in the standings pending Inter's match against Atalanta, scheduled for the evening postponement.

The message is clear: Højlund is already an offensive reference point for the Azzurri, and Napoli shows defensive solidity and consistency in results that confirm the team's ambitions in the race for the Scudetto.

Cremonese (3-5-2): Audero 6; Terracciano 5.5, Baschirotto 6, Bianchetti 5.5 (82′ Floriani NG); Barbieri 6.5 (60′ Johnsen 5.5), Zerbin 6.5 (77′ Bonazzoli NG), Grassi 5.5 (77′ Bondo 5.5), Payero 6, Pezzella 5.5; Sanabria 5 (60′ Moumbagna 5), Vardy 6. Coach Nicola 6

Napoli (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic 6; Di Lorenzo 6.5, Rrahmani 6.5, Juan Jesus 7; Politano 6 (89′ Mazzocchi NG), Lobotka 7, McTominay 6.5, Spinazzola 6 (46′ Gutierrez 6); Neres 6 (73′ Buongiorno 5.5), Elmas 5.5 (51′ Lang 6); Hojlund 7.5 (89′ Lucca NG). Coach Conte 6.5.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.