25/08/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | AUG 25, 2025

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De Bruyne strikes in Napoli’s strong start

KEVIN DE BRUYNE scored on his Napoli debut yesterday as the Serie A champions kicked off their title defence with a straightforward 2-0 win at promoted Sassuolo. The headline signing of the summer transfer window in Italy, De Bruyne opened his account for Napoli in the 57th minute when his free kick swept in from the left flank and evaded everyone before nestling in the far corner. “Of course it’s a nice moment, I just tried to put the ball in the right space you know and I think I put it in a dangerous space so if anyone touched it … now in this case nobody, it just went in.

few months of Napoli’s bid for a fifth league crown without Romelu Lukaku. Elsewhere, Luka Modric and AC Milan fell to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Cremonese. “If you look at the performance we had more chances but the difference in these matches is the determination with which you attack and defend,” said Allegri. “We conceded two avoidable goals due to being slack… it’s like we’re not aware of danger.” Roma got off to a positive start under new coach Gian Piero Gasperini with a 1-0 win over Bologna. – AFP

Emilia after Scott McTominay continued where he left off from last season with a bullet header in the 17th minute. Napoli have never retained a league title, not even when Diego Maradona strutted his stuff in southern Italy back in the 1980s, and their attempt to do so after the historic success of 2023 ended with a 10th-place finish. However unlike Luciano Spalletti, whose exit straight after winning the league destabilised Napoli, Conte has decided to stay put and that has given fans hopes of another big season. The current team will have to play the first

It’s nice to start this way,” said De Bruyne to DAZN . De Bruyne, 34, is in Italy after a decade at Manchester City during which he won six Premier League titles and in 2023 the Champions League. “It’s a different way of working, a different way of playing and I saw that today. I think I still have to adjust a bit and do better,” added De Bruyne. “It was a good start as a team but I think we can play better, individually and collectively.” De Bruyne made sure Napoli would get off to a winning start to the new season in Reggio

Barca complete late comeback … as Atletico drop more points in Liga B ARCELONA fought back and as Roger Brugue prepared to shoot when Alejandro Balde appeared from nowhere to save his side with an excellent piece of last-ditch defending. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal fights for the ball with Levante’s Manu Sanchez. – AFPPIC

Aubameyang stars as Marseille end chaotic week MARSEILLE put a week of turmoil behind them as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in a 5-2 win over Paris FC on Saturday before coach Roberto De Zerbi opened up the possibility of bringing banished star Adrien Rabiot back into the fold. Aubameyang won a penalty which was converted by Mason Greenwood before the Gabon striker doubled Marseille’s lead just past the midway point in the first half at the Velodrome. Newly-promoted Paris FC hit back to draw level with goals by Ilan Kebbal and Moses Simon, only for Aubameyang to restore Marseille’s lead before Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and youngster Robinio Vaz added further goals late on. Marseille were plunged into crisis last weekend when a fight broke out between star player Adrien Rabiot and English winger Jonathan Rowe in the dressing room at the end of the 1-0 opening round defeat at Rennes. France midfielder Rabiot was later put up for sale. “He made a mistake, but I hope there is a chance we can put things back together. I am not going to close the door on anyone,” De Zerbi said when asked if he would like Rabiot to stay. “It is not me who decides, but I am willing to offer my hand to anyone and if I can help in any way to resolve things I am ready to do whatever it takes.” For now, Rabiot is on the market with just over a week of the transfer window left. Elsewhere, Lyon continued their good start to the campaign after a turbulent summer beset by financial problems. Paulo Fonseca’s team followed a 1-0 opening-day victory at Lens by beating Metz 3-0 at home. Saturday’s other game saw Nice get their first points by winning 3-1 at home to Auxerre. – AFP

from two goals down at newly promoted Levante to win 3-2 yesterday, while Atletico Madrid dropped more points from a w i n n i n g position. F i r s t half goals by Ivan Romero and Jose Luis in Valencia, before Pedri and Ferran Torres struck twice in quick succession after half time to level the match. Hansi Flick’s side looked destined for a draw on a near Morales gave Levante a shock lead against the champions

However, as Balde got back to his feet another shot was fired at him which the referee decided struck the 21-year-old’s arm in an unnatural position following a VAR intervention. Morales, 38, duly doubled Levante’s lead from 12 yards seven minutes into first half added time. Stung by the decision, Barcelona came out roaring in the second half. Midfield metronome Pedri took matters into his own hand four minutes after the interval as he powered a 25-yard drive into the top corner to spark the comeback. “They always tell me to shoot and look, in the first half I had a shot like a kid and in the second half I was able to score,” the 22 year-old told Movistar . Flick’s side were back level three minutes later when Torres made amends for his earlier miss with a close-range finish from a corner. Raphinha forced a great sprawling save from Pablo Campos on 83 minutes after his shot was diverted goalwards by a defender. But Levante’s luck failed to hold as Yamal floated in a cross from the right in the 91st minute which Elgezabal glanced into his own net under pressure from Torres. Diego Simeone’s Atletico are still without a win this season after they drew 1 1 with promoted Elche, leaving them on one point after two frustrating outings. Just like in their 2-1 loss at Espanyol last weekend, Atletico went ahead in the first period at the Metropolitano yesterday. “We wanted to win, we deserved to win the match,” said Diego Simeone. “From the Espanyol match to today’s match, there was improvement. They played better. The result is not there but we need to work, be patient.” Earlier, Mallorca and Celta Vigo shared the spoils when Mateu Morey’s late leveller for the home side cancelled out Javi Rueda’s first-half opener. – AFP season,” Brandt told Sky . “It hurts. At some point, you have to stop explaining it to people afterwards and learn how to play with a man down in the important moments.” Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt thumped Werder Bremen 4-1 at home, Jean-Matteo Bahoya scoring a brace in either half. German Cup holders Stuttgart were beaten 2-1 by Union Berlin. Augsburg won 3-1 at Freiburg and Wolfsburg won by the same scoreline at Heidenheim. – AFP

waterlogged pitch until an Unai Elgezabal own goal in injury time gave them a second win to start the new season. “They made it very difficult for us, we have to improve a lot,” Flick told his post match press conference. Levante went ahead on 15 minutes when the ball was knocked across the Barcelona box to Romero, who bamboozled Pau Cubarsi with a superb shoulder-drop before rifling past new signing Joan Garcia. Torres looked certain to level in the 37th minute when Pedri’s deft first time pass found the forward unmarked in the box, but his fierce strike rattled the bar rather than the net. After Lamine Yamal lost

the ball on the edge of the Levante box, the hosts broke

Leverkusen stumble in Ten Hag Bundesliga debut, Dortmund collapse late

BAYER LEVERKUSEN let a one-goal lead slip to lose 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim in new coach Erik ten Hag’s Bundesliga debut on Saturday. Taking over from Xabi Alonso in the summer and overseeing a radically restructured side after several high-profile exits, the former Manchester United boss cut a frustrated figure on the sideline. Leverkusen hit the lead after six minutes when Jarell Quansah, who arrived from Liverpool this summer, headed in an Alex Grimaldo freekick. Hoffenheim, who finished just one spot

“Of course we’re disappointed, that’s clear… We’ve still got a lot of work to do. That’s not unexpected,”Ten Hag told reporters. “I know from my experience the harder you work, the faster it goes, but we need to stay calm.” Borussia Dortmund gave away a two-goal lead with five minutes remaining to collapse to a 3-3 draw at St Paul, losing debutant centreback Filippo Mane to a red card. “Last year we dropped a lot of points at the end due to red cards. “It seems we’ve carried that into the new

above the relegation placings last season, levelled with 25 minutes played, Fisnik Asllani taking advantage of a defensive error from Quansah. Tim Lemperle put the visitors ahead after 52 minutes. He was given too much time by Leverkusen’s defence and skidded a low shot into the corner of the goal. Leverkusen lost just three league games in the past two seasons, often saving points with the clock winding down, but there would be no late heroics. The defeat showed the scale of the rebuild Ten Hag has on his hands.