Rasmus Hojlund wasted no time making an impression on his Napoli debut, scoring in the opening half to guide the Serie A champions to a 3-1 win over Fiorentina.
The 22-year-old striker completed a season-long loan switch from Manchester United on 1 September, with Napoli obligated to make the deal permanent next summer for £38 million.
His breakthrough moment came in the 14th minute. After timing his run perfectly to meet a precise through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola, Hojlund surged into the area, held his composure as ex-United goalkeeper David de Gea rushed out, and calmly tucked the ball into the bottom corner to double Napoli’s advantage.
De Bruyne penalty sets the tone
Napoli had already grabbed the initiative by then. Just six minutes into the contest, Kevin De Bruyne marked his presence with a confident penalty, firing past De Gea after Frank Anguissa had been clipped by Pietro Comuzzo inside the box.
That early strike set the tone for Antonio Conte’s side, who dominated possession and controlled the tempo for much of the first half at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
They tightened their grip further shortly after the interval. When Fiorentina failed to clear a corner, Sam Beukema reacted quickly to poke the ball home from close range, stretching the lead to 3-0 and leaving the home crowd deflated.
Late Fiorentina push denied
Fiorentina refused to go quietly, and their persistence was rewarded in the closing stages. With 11 minutes of regulation time remaining, Luca Ranieri arrived at the far post to turn in a corner and offer the hosts a glimmer of hope.
That late goal injected urgency into Fiorentina’s play, and they poured forward in search of a dramatic comeback. Yet Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic stood tall, making a series of timely interventions to keep the scoreline intact.
Despite the late pressure, Napoli saw out the match with composure to claim a crucial away victory that returns them to the summit of Serie A. They move level on points with Juventus but edge ahead of their rivals on goal difference, after Juve’s 4-3 win over Inter Milan earlier in the day.
