NAPOLI 2-1 SPORTING LISBONNE : Højlund 36’, 79’ – Suarez 62’
Napoli got back on track in the Champions League. After their opening defeat to Manchester City, the Italians battled past a stubborn Sporting Lisbon side.
More than a year since their last Champions League fixture, the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium roared once again, celebrating Napoli’s return to Europe’s biggest stage. And for this return, Kevin De Bruyne wore the European suit perfectly tailored for him. The Belgian maestro was at the heart of everything good his team produced. Answering critics who questioned his recent form, he tilted the game in Napoli’s favor with authority.
On the opener, De Bruyne’s breathtaking run and inch-perfect pass in full stride found Rasmus Højlund, who clinically put Napoli 1-0 up. The second goal came from the Belgian’s trademark right foot, once again linking up with Højlund—suggesting that after his famous partnership with Haaland, De Bruyne may have found another perfect striker to finish off his service.
Sporting, though, showed admirable fight. They equalized 1-1 through a Suarez penalty after Politano’s foul, and kept pushing, with captain Morten Hjulmand’s powerful header forcing Vanja Milinković-Savić into a crucial save.
Napoli, however, leaned on their new dynamic duo to claim all three points.