Rasmus Højlund’s first-half brace guided Napoli to a 2–0 victory over Cremonese at the Stadio Giovanni Zini, lifting the Azzurri into second place in Serie A and continuing the momentum from their recent Supercoppa Italiana triumph.

The contest began at a subdued pace, but Napoli broke the deadlock in the 13th minute. Leonardo Spinazzola’s initial effort was blocked, yet the rebound fell kindly to Højlund, who reacted quickest to turn the ball home from close range for his fifth league goal of the season.

Højlund almost doubled his tally after 35 minutes when he found himself one-on-one with Emil Audero, but a heavy touch allowed the Cremonese goalkeeper to smother the danger. The Danish forward, however, made amends moments later.

On the stroke of half-time, Napoli capitalised on slack defending as Højlund rifled in his second from eight yards out, giving Antonio Conte’s side a commanding two-goal advantage despite rarely hitting top gear before the interval.

Napoli carried their control into the second half and nearly added a third within five minutes of the restart. Højlund again threatened after latching onto a fine pass from Scott McTominay, but his effort could only find the side-netting.

The visitors continued to apply pressure midway through the half, with Amir Rrahmani going close from a corner, his header flashing narrowly wide. Further chances followed as Cremonese struggled to regain a foothold in the contest.

With 20 minutes remaining, Napoli squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to seal the result. McTominay’s powerful shot was parried straight into the path of Højlund and Noa Lang, but the pair got in each other’s way and the eventual close-range effort was fired off target.

Despite failing to add to their lead, Napoli remained firmly in control to secure a comfortable win that sees them end 2025 on a positive note, boosting their title ambitions after last time out’s defeat to Udinese.

Cremonese, meanwhile, stay 12th in the table following a third consecutive league match without a win. They will look to get back on track when they travel to face relegation-threatened Fiorentina in their next Serie A fixture.