Kevin De Bruyne‘s aim might show pricey for Napoli regardless of it setting the defending champions on the best way to a 3-1 win over Inter Milan and again to the highest of Serie A on Saturday.
De Bruyne appeared to drag a muscle as he transformed a first-half penalty, instantly clutching the again of his proper thigh. The previous Manchester Metropolis participant regarded distraught and needed to be helped off the sector by two medical workers.
Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa additionally scored for Napoli after the break, both facet of an Inter penalty transformed by Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
The outcome obtained Napoli again to successful methods — after final weekend’s loss at Torino and Tuesday’s chastening 6-2 defeat at PSV Eindhoven within the Champions League — and lifted them a degree above second-placed AC Milan, who drew in opposition to Pisa on Friday.
“I reside the sport with my gamers, for higher or for worse,” stated Napoli coach Antonio Conte, who additionally steered Inter to the title in 2021. “We gained regardless of the difficulties, we now have vital gamers absent and now De Bruyne has additionally been injured. To illustrate it isn’t a really fortunate yr, perhaps somebody has cursed us.”
Inter, who had been on a seven-match successful run, had been left in fourth.
“Inter had come to kill us, they had been coming off a terrific second, whereas we had been in problem,” Conte added. “However we now have no intention of dying and we performed a tricky and vigorous match, placing in a superb efficiency regardless of the difficulties.”
Napoli had been already combating accidents and their issues obtained worse when De Bruyne was pressured off after firing his spot-kick powerfully into the underside nook.
The penalty had been awarded after Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan was adjudged to have fouled Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Mkhitaryan additionally went off injured.
Inter got here near levelling the match within the dying seconds of the primary half as Alessandro Bastoni hit the crossbar and Denzel Dumfries clipped the publish.
The guests continued to pour ahead after the break however McTominay doubled Napoli’s lead within the 54th minute following a fast counterattack. He sprung the offside lure to run onto Leonardo Spinazzola’s fantastic cross and drive it into the underside nook from the sting of the world.
It was McTominay’s third aim this week after his brace in opposition to PSV.
Çalhanoğlu decreased the deficit 5 minutes later with a penalty after Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno charged down a Lautaro Martínez header along with his arm.
Nonetheless, Anguissa restored Napoli’s two-goal benefit within the 67th when he completed off one other medical counterattack.
