Napoli-Cremonese 4-0: De Bruyne Shines as Champions Race Tightens, Inter Scudetto Delayed

Napoli secured a 4-0 home victory over Cremonese on Friday evening, delaying Inter Milan’s Serie A title celebrations by at least another week and strengthening their own Champions League qualification hopes.

The match, played at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, began with Napoli asserting dominance early. Just three minutes in, Kevin De Bruyne played a precise pass through to Scott McTominay on the edge of the box, who struck the ball hard and low into the far corner past goalkeeper Emil Audero to open the scoring.

Napoli continued to press and extended their lead before halftime. Rasmus Højlund scored twice in quick succession — first with a heavily deflected effort that rolled into the bottom corner, then shortly after with an acrobatic finish following a loose ball kept in play by McTominay, giving the hosts a 3-0 advantage at the break.

After the interval, Napoli maintained control and added a fourth goal early in the second half. Alisson Santos received the ball from goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić inside his own half, dribbled through Cremonese’s central defence, and finished calmly to complete the rout.

The goalscorers were Scott McTominay, Rasmus Højlund, Kevin De Bruyne, and Alisson Santos. De Bruyne, who had been sidelined with injury since October, marked his return with a goal before being substituted later in the match.

Antonio Conte praised his team’s resilience, noting the victory came despite recent difficulties, including a home defeat the previous weekend and a 6-2 Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven midweek. He emphasized the squad’s depth and recruitment over the past two years as key factors in the performance.

Conte also addressed criticism directed at the club, stating he had expected a greeting from Romelu Lukaku, who did not acknowledge him during the match. The Inter striker, formerly of Napoli, was on the opposing bench but did not interact with Conte.

The result leaves Napoli in contention for the Serie A title, though Inter remain at the summit. However, the win delays Inter’s potential title clinch by at least one more matchday and boosts Napoli’s position in the race for Champions League qualification.