De Bruyne on target in Napoli’s Serie A opener | OneFootball

Napoli kicked off their Serie A title defence with a comfortable 2-0 win away at Sassuolo, thanks to goals from Scott McTominay and debutant Kevin De Bruyne.

The champions looked sharp from the off, with De Bruyne quickly pulling the strings in midfield. McTominay opened the scoring in the 17th minute, heading in Matteo Politano’s cross, before rattling the bar with a thunderous strike minutes later.

Sassuolo rarely threatened, aside from a couple of bright moments from Josh Doig, and their night got worse when Ismaël Koné was sent off for a rash challenge on Lorenzo Lucca.

Napoli pushed on after the break, Politano striking the post before De Bruyne marked his debut with a free-kick that deceived keeper Andrea Turati and nestled in the far corner.

It was a professional performance from the Azzurri, who looked comfortable throughout, though the search for a Lukaku replacement up front remains ongoing.