REGGIO EMILIA: Kevin De Bruyne scored on his Napoli debut on Saturday as the Serie A champions kicked off their title defence with a straightforward 2-0 win at promoted Sassuolo, while Luka Modric and AC Milan fell to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese.

The headline signing of the summer transfer window in Italy, De Bruyne opened his account for Napoli in the 57th minute when his free-kick swept in from the left flank and evaded everyone before nestling in the far corner.

De Bruyne made sure Napoli would get off to a winning start to the new season in Reggio Emilia after Scott McTominay continued where he left off from last season with a bullet header in the 17th minute.

McTominay was the star of Napoli’s second Scudetto triumph in three years with 12 goals and again looked in fine form for Antonio Conte’s team.

The Scotland midfielder was unlucky not to double his tally for the evening on the stroke of half-time when his rasping first-time effort crashed onto the crossbar.

Napoli have never retained a league title, not even when Diego Maradona strutted his stuff in southern Italy back in the 1980s, and their attempt to do so after the historic success of 2023 ended with a 10th-place finish.

However unlike Luciano Spalletti, whose exit straight after winning the league destabilised Napoli, Conte has decided to stay put and that has given fans hopes of another big season.

The current team will have to play the first few months of Napoli’s bid for a fifth league crown without Romelu Lukaku.

De Bruyne’s Belgium team-mate could be out of action until the end of the year with a thigh muscle tear and his understudy Lorenzo Lucca struggled to get into the game on his Napoli debut.

Sassuolo romped to the Serie B title last term but were outclassed on their return to the top flight, and finished the match with 10 men after debutant Ismael Kone was sent off in the 79th minute for two bookable offences.

Federico Bonazzoli ruined Modric’s first Milan start with a stunning scissor kick just after the hour mark which sank the hosts and delighted the loud contingent of Cremonese fans who made the trip to the San Siro.

Whistles and boos rang out from home supporters at the final whistle as Milan were hit by two sucker punches from Bonazzoli and Federico Baschirotto, who opened the scoring with a glancing header in the 29th minute.

Milan were level at the break through Strahinja Pavlovic’s header in the final moments of the first half but Massimiliano Allegri’s team failed to capitalise on chances created early in the second period and were punished by Bonazzoli who gave Cremonese their first ever win over Milan at the San Siro.

Roma got off to a positive start under new coach Gian Piero Gasperini with a 1-0 win over Bologna, new boy Wesley Franca pouncing on a Jhon Lucumi error to bundle in the only goal of the game in the 43rd minute.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2025