Napoli underlined their domestic authority on Monday night by lifting the Italian Super Cup with a polished 2-0 victory over Bologna in Riyadh, David Neres scoring twice to deliver Antonio Conte another trophy inhis illustrious career.
The Brazilian winger produced the decisive moments in a one-sided final, opening the scoring six minutes before half time with a superb long-range effort before capitalising on a defensive error to seal the win shortly after the restart.
It was a performance befitting of Serie A champions; Bologna never truly threatened to spoil the occasion.
“We came here as champions of Italy, we wanted this trophy and we showed it with a great performance,” Napoli forward Matteo Politano said. “We could have scored a few more goals, but we are happy with the victory.”
Napoli had set the tone early, pinning Bologna deep inside their own half and creating chances almost at will. Eljif Elmas should have opened the scoring when he found space inside the penalty area but dragged his shot wide, while Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia was soon called into action to parry a fierce Scott McTominay effort that flashed across goal.
Leonardo Spinazzola then came close with a delicate chipped attempt that Ravaglia managed to claw away, Lewis Ferguson scrambling back to clear the danger. Bologna, Coppa Italia winners and appearing in the Super Cup final for the first time, struggled to cope with Napoli’s tempo and movement, offering little in response.
The breakthrough, when it arrived, was worth the wait. Neres collected a throw-in on the left, drifted inside unchallenged and, with Bologna’s defence backing off, unleashed a curling strike from outside the area that arrowed into the top corner.
Ravaglia was again busy early in the second half, denying Rasmus Hojlund and tipping over Amir Rrahmani’s header from the resulting corner.
Moments later, however, Napoli ruthlessly doubled their advantage. A loose pass from Ravaglia to Jhon Lucumi was intercepted by Neres, who calmly chipped the stranded goalkeeper from a tight angle to all but end the contest.
Napoli could have added to their tally, but Bologna never looked capable of mounting a response. Conte and his substitutes were already preparing to celebrate well before the final whistle, as Napoli claimed their third Super Cup and first since 2014, having also beaten holders AC Milan in the semi-finals.
“The lads deserve congratulations for an impeccable tournament, both against Milan and Bologna,” Conteruthlessly doubled their advantage, who won five Serie A titles as a player and five more as a coach, told Sport Mediaset.
“They showed how much they wanted this trophy for the fans, and we’ll also have a great Christmas celebration now with a new trophy in the cabinet. We are coming off a Scudetto and a Supercoppa Italiana, beating very strong teams like Inter, Milan and Bologna.”
This is only Conte’s second Supercoppa Italiana, after winning at Juventus in 2013, and his second piece of silverware at Napoli.
“Conte is our leader and we follow him until death,” Politano added. “Now we celebrate and then we will think about the championship.”
Hojlund improvement
One player in particular to emerge with credit from Napoli's trip to Saudi Arabia is Danish striker Hojlund. The 22-year-old only joined the club last summer on loan after struggling to nail down a place at Manchester United.
Hojlund scored and assisted in the 2-0 semi-final win over Milan on Thursday and again played an important part in Monday's final.
“Everyone used to say Rasmus didn’t play in Manchester, neither did [Scott] McTominay, so why? Ask yourselves some questions there. The staff and I had work to do, there is a reason we are here, after all,” Conte said.
"What a great decision," a beaming Hojlund said on Instagram as he posed with the Super Cup trophy.
The final also raised questions about the future of the competition’s expanded format. This was the third edition involving four teams, but Serie A president Ezio Simonelli suggested a rethink may be coming.
“Maybe next year we will return to the original spirit of the Italian Super Cup with a one-off game,” he said before kick-off.
For Napoli, however, there was little room for debate. Champions once more, they left Riyadh with silverware in hand and momentum firmly on their side.
Conte's side sit third in Serie A, two points behind leaders Napoli with a trip to Cremonese up next on Sunday.
