Softfootball understands that Napoli fought their way into the Supercoppa Italiana final with a 2-0 win over AC Milan at the King Saud University Stadium; it felt like a performance they badly needed.
It puts Gli Azzurri one step away from their first Supercoppa crown since 2014, which suddenly doesn’t feel that far off anymore. The game did not go as Softfootball predicted; Softfootball predicted an AC Milan win in the pregame report.
Napoli celebrated this victory in a post via their official X account.
View the post below:
The match actually started pretty wild. Inside five minutes, both teams already had chances, almost like neither side wanted to wait around.
Eljif Elmas had a pop that Maignan saved without too much sweat, then at the opposite end, Vanja Milinković-Savić threw himself in front of Ruben Loftus-Cheek after Strahinja Pavlović attempted a bicycle kick that looked a bit improvised.
Napoli started slowing things down and holding the ball more, but Milan still got a huge look at goal when Amir Rrahmani’s header fell kindly for Alexis Saelemaekers, who just smashed it over when composure was needed.
Elmas fired another effort wide after Maignan dropped a corner he probably should’ve held. Scott McTominay then tried to add a bit of finesse to what had become a messy half, curling one that drifted just past the post.
Adrien Rabiot and Christopher Nkunku both responded with shots that sailed high, so there was not exactly elite finishing on display.
The opener finally came in the 39th minute when Rasmus Højlund squared the ball across the goal. Maignan got a touch on it but only pushed it into the path of David Neres for the easiest finish he’ll get this year. Before halftime, the Milan keeper at least denied Højlund’s own shot, tipping it wide to prevent more damage.
Maignan was straight back to work early in the second half, palming away a first-time strike from Rrahmani. Napoli weren’t fully comfy either; Juan Jesus had to beat Pavlović to a bouncing ball in the box that looked briefly dangerous.
De Winter had struggled with Højlund, who scored in Napoli’s recent 2-1 victory against Juventus. In the 64th minute, he got bullied again, the striker holding him off and smashing a tight-angle effort in off the far post. It felt like a dagger.
Tomori headed wide as Milan tried to wake up, and sub Youssouf Fofana forced at least a save, though he nodded it straight at Milinković-Savić. Things got testy near the end, with McTominay and Tomori both seeing yellow after a small clash.
Napoli won’t care about that. They snapped a two-match skid, got a clean sheet, and now they’ll meet Bologna or Inter Milan in Monday’s final.
