Guess who scored a brace for Napoli

At one point it was a joke, or irony, or exception to the rule, but now it seems that it’s became a rule – Manchester United ex-players are thriving wherever they go. Rasmus Hojlund was a part of the ‘bomb squad’ and decided to go back to Italy, but this time to Napoli. In five games, he already scored three goals and against Sporting he scored a brace in a 2-1 win. To be fair, it was Napoli keeper with a magnificent penalty save in the 90th minute which saved them, but Hojlund’s two goals also contributed to the victory.

Napoli fans will are celebrating not only the keeper, but the duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund, who combined for both goals worth three points. The Belgian supplied, the Dane finished — exactly what they were brought to the city beneath Vesuvius for. A half-hour of dullness in the first half almost killed the atmosphere at the “Maradona.” Neither Napoli nor Sporting had any idea where or how to push the ball forward to create even the slightest danger. After 30 minutes, the famous xG (expected goals) stood at an incredible 0.03:0.02 in favor of the Italians. In other words, not only was there no real danger for either goalkeeper, it was barely measurable that anyone had even looked toward goal. Then, in the 36th minute, Kevin De Bruyne pulled a moment of magic out of his hat. A spell from his repertoire that Manchester City fans had enjoyed for years, he showcased at the “Maradona” and brought the crowd to its feet. A perfectly weighted pass for Hojlund in full stride, after slaloming through Sporting’s players, and the Dane was left with the easier task of sending the ball into the net.

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It seemed in the second half that Napoli had everything under control, but then in the 62nd minute Politano conceded a penalty, Suarez outwitted Milinkovic Savic and equalized. Nervousness crept into the Italian champions, and Goncalves even came closer to giving the Portuguese the lead than Napoli did to weaving chances around Sporting’s goal. Still, the passes from De Bruyne have eyes, and in the 79th minute one such ball found Hojlund at the edge of the six-yard box. Sporting’s keeper rushed out, left his net empty, and Napoli took the lead again. The final ten minutes didn’t bring big chances until that last-minute moment, when Hjulmand headed from the penalty spot — only for Milinković-Savić to make a miraculous save and spare his team from trauma.

The other Italian representative Juventus managed a draw in Villarreal even though they took the lead twice. There isn’t a crazier team in this season’s Champions League than Juventus. Once upon a time, the Italian giant was known as a team that embodied Spartan discipline on the pitch, where at every moment it was clear who cut the grass and who carried the water — especially when they had the result in their hands. But this season, the black-and-whites from Turin have surpassed even the eternally schizophrenic Dortmund in terms of chaos on the field, and fittingly, it was against them that Juve played an unforgettable first-round match (4:4). This time, Juventus brings home a point from Villarreal – 2:2. Just as in the first round against Dortmund, when the Italian side scored twice in stoppage time to rescue a draw, this time it went the other way, as the Spanish side scored in the 90th minute to avoid defeat.

The one thing Italian coaches hate most in the world — conceding from a set piece — happened to Juventus. Renato Veiga, who wore the black-and-white jersey of the Old Lady just last season, outjumped everyone at the six-yard box after a corner and sent the ball over Perin’s head into the net. And of course, he celebrated. Why wouldn’t he? Even if he spent just one season at the Turin club. Veiga not only saved his team but also his captain, Parejo, whose disastrous mistake had gifted Juventus the chance to win. The visitors do have reason to regret, as the still completely off-form David missed two huge chances. It’s hard to imagine coach Tudor being able to explain why the Canadian remains ahead of Dušan Vlahović in the starting lineup — and even more, why the Serbian striker only came on in the 86th minute.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

Atalanta - Club Brugge 2-1 (0-1)

/Samardzic 73 pen, Pasalic 87 - Tzolis 38/

Kairat - Real Madrid 0-5 (0-1)

/Mbappe 25 pen, 52, 74, Camavinga 83, Diaz 90+3/

Atletico Madrid - Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 (3-0)

/Raspadori 4, Le Normand 33, Griezmann 45+1, 68, Alvarez 82 pen - Burkardt 57/

Bodo/Glimt - Tottenham 2-2 (0-0)

/Hauge 53, 66 - Van de Ven 69, Richarlison 89/

Chelsea - Benfica 1-0 (1-0)

/Rios 18 og/

Galatasaray - Liverpool 1-0 (1-0)

/Osimhen 16 pen/

Inter - Slavia Prague 3-0 (2-0)

/Lautaro 30, 65, Dumfries 34/

Olympique Marseille - Ajax 4-0 (3-0)

/Paixao 6, 13, Greenwood 26, Aubameyang 53/

Pafos - Bayern 1-5 (1-4)

/Orsic 45 - Kane 15, 35, Guerreiro 21, Jackson 31, Olise 69/

Wednesday

Qarabag - Copenhagen 2-0 (1-0)

/Zoubir 28, Addai 83/

St.Gilloise - Newcastle 0-4 (0-2)

/Woltemade 17, Gordon 43(p), 64(p), Barnes 80/

Arsenal - Olympiakos 2-0 (1-0)

/Martinelli 12, Saka 90+2/

Barcelona - PSG 1-2 (1-1)

/Torres 19 - Mayulu 38, Ramos 90/

Dortmund - Ath.Bilbao 4-1 (1-0)

/Svensson 28,  Chukwuemeka 50, Guirassy 82, Brandt 90+1 - Guruzeta 61/

Leverkusen - PSV 1-1 (0-0)

/Kofane 65 - Saibari 72

Monaco - Man.City 2-2 (1-2)

/Teze 18, Dier 90(p) - Haaland 15, 44/

Napoli - Sporting 2-1 (1-0)

/Hojlund 36, 79 - Suarez 62(p)/

Villareal - Juventus 2-2 (1-0)

/Mikautadze 18, Veiga 90 - Gatti 49, Conceicao 56/