McTominay and De Bruyne light up as Napoli shine in Serie A opener

De Bruyne doubles the advantage after 57 minutes, bending a free-kick from a tight angle

Serie A - US Sassuolo v Napoli - Mapei Stadium - Citta del Tricolore, Reggio Emilia, Italy - Aug 23, 2025 Napoli's Scott McTominay celebrates scoring their first goal with Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Napoli launched their Serie A season in style with a 2-0 win at Sassuolo on Saturday, as Scott McTominay powered in a first-half header before Kevin De Bruyne curled home a free-kick after the break.

Midfielder McTominay, last season’s league Most Valuable Player, wasted no time in making his mark, powering a header into the net from Matteo Politano’s curling cross after just 17 minutes to fire Napoli ahead.

New signing De Bruyne doubled the advantage after 57 minutes, bending a free-kick from a tight angle over the crowded box and into the far bottom corner.

Sassuolo’s Serie A return took another downturn when Ismael Kone was shown a second yellow card just minutes from time for a foul on Lorenzo Lucca, leaving the hosts to finish with ten men.