Italian media react to Hojlund and De Bruyne masterclass as 'Maradona gives standing ovation'

The Italian media have given their verdict on Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund and Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne's displays for Napoli in the Champions League

Napoli had both Manchester clubs to thank for their Champions League victory over Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday. Both the Italian side's goals were scored by Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund, each supplied by Manchester City icon Kevin De Bruyne.

Hojlund, who also scored on his Serie A debut for the club, has relished his move away from Old Trafford. The 22-year-old's first goal came as De Bruyne raced up the pitch to ignite a counter-attack from a corner. The Belgian midfielder played an inch-perfect through ball in Hojlund's path, who calmly slotted the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

Antonio Conte's side did face some adversity as Sporting were able to score an equaliser from the penalty spot, just after the hour mark. However, the link up between De Bruyne and Hojlund struck again to seal three points for Napoli.

A well-worked short corner found De Bruyne with time to deliver a teasing cross and Hojlund managed to beat the goalkeeper to the ball and fire his header into an empty net. The combined performances of Hojlund and De Bruyne have led to glowing praise in the Italian media.

La Gazzetta dello Sport

The opening line of La Gazzetta dello Sport's match report reads: "From Manchester with love." The newspaper notes that, while they were both playing for rival clubs earlier this year, they have quickly formed a bond on the pitch.

De Bruyne is described as the "brains" of Conte's team while Hojlund is the "arm" responsible for firing the club to their first European win of the season. The performance has restored some confidence in the reigning Serie A champions, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan last weekend.

La Gazzetta dello Sport delighted in watching De Bruyne as he "skipped past an opponent" before setting up Hojlund's first goal. Napoli sealed the victory at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, despite some nerves as Sporting sought to salvage a point.

Corriere della Sera

The match report from Corriere della Sera celebrated De Bruyne bouncing back from recent criticism. When the City icon was substituted late on, the stadium rose to their feet: "Maradona gives him a standing ovation".

Following the club's recent defeat to Milan, there had been concerns voiced over De Bruyne's performances. However, Corriere della Sera argued that his display against Sporting was proof of why Conte was keen to add the midfielder to his side.

Conte had previously been critical of De Bruyne but the Belgian is said to have issued a "forceful response". Hojlund's "hunger for goals" was also pointed out. Such was De Bruyne's star quality that his performance alone is said to have been worth the price of a ticket in Naples.

Corriere dello Sport

Corriere dello Sport compared Hojlund to a "sniper" - a far cry from the comments he was getting from the Old Trafford terraces.

However, former United midfielder Scott McTominay was below the usual standards that the Italian club have come to expect, with him taking the only bit of criticism.

"The only less brilliant player was McTominay, but it must be understood: he's not a robot; he can't play every match at 100%," their report added.