Napoli booked their place in the Supercoppa Italiana final with a 2-0 victory over AC Milan at the King Saud University Stadium, as Gli Azzurri look to lift the trophy for the first time since 2014.
Both sides showed early intent, trading chances inside the opening five minutes. Eljif Elmas saw an early effort saved, while at the other end, Vanja Milinković-Savić reacted sharply to deny Ruben Loftus-Cheek following an acrobatic attempt by Strahinja Pavlović.
Napoli gradually began to dominate possession, though Milan went close when Alexis Saelemaekers fired over after Amir Rrahmani’s header fell kindly in the area. Elmas then wasted another opportunity at the opposite end after Mike Maignan spilt a corner.
The breakthrough arrived in the 39th minute, when Maignan could only deflect Rasmus Højlund’s low cross into the path of David Neres, who tapped home from close range to give Napoli a deserved lead.
Maignan prevented Højlund from adding a second before the break, producing a fine save to tip the striker’s effort wide. The Milan goalkeeper was again called into action shortly after half-time, pushing away Rrahmani’s first-time strike, before Juan Jesus cleared the danger inside the Napoli box.
Højlund, a constant threat throughout, doubled Napoli’s advantage in the 64th minute. Holding off Koni De Winter, the Danish striker found just enough space to fire a powerful shot in off the far post from a tight angle.
Milan attempted to respond, with Fikayo Tomori heading wide and substitute Youssouf Fofana forcing a save from Milinković-Savić, but Napoli remained in control. Tempers flared late on, with Scott McTominay and Tomori both shown yellow cards following a clash.
The final whistle confirmed a convincing win for Napoli, who recover from recent domestic setbacks to advance to Monday’s Supercoppa Italiana final, where they will face either Bologna or Inter Milan.
For AC Milan, the defeat adds to recent disappointment, coming just two weeks after their elimination from the Coppa Italia, despite an impressive unbeaten run in Serie A.
