Under huge expectations to defend their Serie A title, Napoli officially opened the new season with an excellent 2-0 away win against Sassuolo. However, the big news was Kevin De Bruyne's debut in midfield, and the Belgian showed great dynamism in Antonio Conte's tactical system.
De Bruyne shines on debut as Napoli cruise past Sassuolo
The impact of Kevin de Bruyne's debut was immediate, and he put in an assured performance, being responsible for organizing every move with every touch of the ball. His first assist almost came on a sensational pass to Amir Rrahmani early on, but the defender couldn't get a good enough finish.
Even so, Napoli showed their traditional quality seen last season to open the scoring, when Matteo Politano brought the ball in from the right and lifted the ball up for Scott McTominay to head the ball straight at goal. The Scotsman also almost scored a second before the break after Sassuolo failed to clear in the defensive half, but his shot from outside the area hit the crossbar.
Napoli were much more intense in the second half and Politano almost added to his tally with another ball in off the post, but the second goal came soon after with the most special moment of the game. From a free-kick, Kevin De Bruyne curled a sensational left-footed free-kick past goalkeeper Turati, who was waiting for the deflection that didn't come, stamping the Belgian's excellent debut. As a result, expectations are even higher for the long-term impact.
Powerless to react, Sassuolo ended the match a player down due to the dismissal of Koné, one of the names expected to be called up to the Canadian squad for the 2026 World Cup. However, the harsh tackle on Lorenzo Lucca certainly had a negative impact on the tournament that will officially end the 2025/26 season in June next year.