Riyadh, Dec 23 (IANS) David Neres scored twice as Napoli beat Bologna 2-0 to win the Italian Super Cup.

It is the third Super Cup title in the club’s history, with Antonio Conte restoring the Scudetto-Super Cup double, following in the footsteps of the 1990 side Napoli under Alberto Bigon featuring Diego Maradona.

Napoli broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when Neres controlled a throw-in outside the area and curled a shot into the top corner.

The Partenopei doubled their lead around the hour mark as Neres won the ball inside Bologna’s box and finished from a tight angle past the onrushing goalkeeper.

After the 2-0 win over Milan in the semi-final, the Azzurri repeated the same scoreline in the showpiece event in Riyadh. The star of the night was David Neres, who broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark with a curling left-footed strike into the top corner.

After the break, the Brazilian wrapped up the match, first stealing the ball from the Bologna defence and then finishing with a delightful chip as the goalkeeper rushed out.

Napoli claimed the third Super Cup in the club’s history and the second of the Aurelio De Laurentiis era.

Since 2023, the Supercoppa Italiana has adopted a four-team format, pitting together the reigning Serie A champion, the runner-up, and the winner and runner-up of the Italian Cup.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte gave his take on the performanc, saying, “We really played a great match and I have to acknowledge that. We’re happy, trophies matter and being able to add another one to the cabinet after the Scudetto triumph means we’re on a very good path.

“Now we’ll celebrate a more peaceful Christmas together with our fans. That said, we’ve got to keep working hard. We’ve made progress, but we’re not yet at the level we want to reach. It’ll take patience and there’s still a long way to go, but we’re certainly aware that we’ve got quality and we showed that again tonight, both individually and as a team.”

–IANS

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