De Bruyne Scores, Gets Hurt, But Napoli Defeat Inter 3–1 to Reclaim Serie A Lead
It was a night of mixed emotions for Napoli. A massive 3–1 win over Inter Milan put them back on top of Serie A, but star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne limped off injured right after scoring his first-half penalty.
The Belgian maestro fired his spot-kick into the bottom corner, but immediately grabbed the back of his leg — and the sight of him being helped off the pitch left Napoli fans silent despite the goal celebrations.
Early Blow, Big Response
Napoli came into the match desperate to bounce back after a tough week — a loss at Torino and a heavy defeat to PSV in Europe. But against Inter, they looked sharp, confident, and determined to remind everyone why they’re the defending champions.
De Bruyne’s opener came midway through the first half after Giovanni Di Lorenzo was fouled in the box by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The referee pointed straight to the spot, and De Bruyne made no mistake — though the joy was short-lived as he hobbled off seconds later.
Inter nearly equalized before halftime when Alessandro Bastoni rattled the crossbar and Denzel Dumfries hit the post, but luck was on Napoli’s side.
McTominay Strikes Again
Just nine minutes into the second half, Scott McTominay made it 2–0 with a calm finish after a lightning-quick counterattack. The Scottish midfielder timed his run perfectly, collected Leonardo Spinazzola’s through ball, and buried it low into the corner — his third goal this week after his European brace.
Inter tried to fight back and got their reward five minutes later when Hakan Çalhanoğlu converted a penalty after Alessandro Buongiorno handled the ball in the box. That gave the visitors hope — but only for a few minutes.
Anguissa Seals It for Napoli
Napoli struck again with another blistering breakaway. In the 67th minute, Frank Anguissa finished off a sweeping move to make it 3–1, restoring the home side’s two-goal cushion and sending the fans into raptures.
From there, Napoli controlled the tempo, seeing out the match with confidence — even as everyone’s thoughts lingered on De Bruyne’s condition.
The victory lifts Napoli back to the top of the table, one point clear of AC Milan. But with another injury added to their growing list, the champions will be hoping their midfield magician’s setback isn’t a serious one.
