Massimiliano Allegri kicked off his tenure as Napoli manager with a 2-0 victory over Genoa at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, largely thanks to a decisive late cameo from Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgian playmaker came off the bench in the second half to break the deadlock in the 82nd minute before setting up youngster Antonio Vergara shortly afterwards, leaving Daniele De Rossi's side empty-handed despite a resilient display.

Frustrating Start for Allegri's Side

Genoa created the better opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. Vitinha fired over early on after an error from Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret, while Tommaso Baldanzi had a close-range effort blocked. At the opposite end, Alisson Santos pulled an effort wide before Leonardo Spinazzola saw a scuffed strike safely gathered by Genoa goalkeeper Justin Bijlow.

Napoli continued to struggle for fluency in the second half, though Scott McTominay nearly unlocked the defence with a venomous low cross across the six-yard box that narrowly evaded Rasmus Hojlund.

De Bruyne Proves Decisive

With the game seemingly headed for a goalless draw, De Bruyne stepped up to change the contest. Latching onto a pass from Vergara, the veteran midfielder held off a robust challenge from defender Johan Vasquez before slotting a clinical finish past Bijlow.

Just five minutes later, De Bruyne turned provider. The playmaker delivered a precise square ball across the penalty area for Vergara, who applied an emphatic first-time finish that beat Bijlow and bypassed Sebastian Otoa on the goal line.

The impact proved transformative for Napoli, who generated just 0.75 expected goals across the 90 minutes—with 0.69 of that total arriving late in the second half. Following his decisive display, De Bruyne has made a compelling case for a starting role when Napoli host Como in their next Serie A outing.