Defending Serie A champions Napoli made a strong statement in their title defense with a decisive 3-1 victory over Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The win extends Napoli’s unbeaten streak in top-flight away matches against Fiorentina to eight games.
Napoli, managed by Antonio Conte, started the match with attacking intent, taking an early lead after just a few minutes. A moment of poor judgment from Fiorentina’s Pietro Comuzzo led to him fouling Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa inside the box, resulting in a penalty. Kevin De Bruyne stepped up and confidently sent former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea the wrong way, notching his second goal of the season.
The visiting side continued to press, and it wasn’t long before they doubled their advantage. Leonardo Spinazzola delivered a perfectly weighted pass that sent fellow former Red Devil, Rasmus Højlund, clear on goal. Højlund, who was making his Napoli debut, made no mistake, calmly finding the bottom corner.
Fiorentina found themselves with a mountain to climb, and it got even steeper shortly after the break when Napoli added a third. A failure to clear a corner allowed Anguissa to keep the ball alive, and he rolled it across the six-yard box for Sam Beukema to tap into an empty net.
With a comfortable three-goal cushion, Napoli began to manage the game. Manager Antonio Conte made several substitutions, perhaps with an eye on their upcoming UEFA Champions League match against Manchester City.
Despite the Florence rain, the hosts managed to grab a late consolation goal through Luca Ranieri, but it was not enough to salvage anything from the match. This was Fiorentina’s first defeat of the season. Meanwhile, Napoli continues its impressive form, winning their first three games of the season for the first time since 2021/22.
