NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Napoli defeated Cremonese 4-0 on Friday, dropping it into the Serie A relegation zone.
Scott McTominay opened the scoring in the third minute with an assist from Kevin De Bruyne, his first in Serie A since joining from Manchester City last summer.
De Bruyne scored the third goal just before half-time with a close-range shot in a packed penalty box. Two minutes earlier, Danish forward Rasmus Hjølund’s shot was deflected past his own goalkeeper by Filippo Terracciano, making it 2-0 for the home side.
Napoli dominated their struggling opponents and Alison Santos added a fourth goal early in the second half with a superb solo effort.
McTominay should have made it 5-0 with seven minutes remaining, but Emile Audero came down brilliantly to save the penalty.
Cremonese were tied with Lecce on points, but were inferior in goal difference and fell to third from last.
Lecce face bottom-placed Verona on Saturday and can move out of the relegation zone with either a point or a win.
Meanwhile, Napoli moved into second place, three points ahead of AC Milan. Inter Milan leads the league with a nine-point difference.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
