De Bruyne scores twice as Napoli beat Frosinone 3-0 at the Maradona

Penalty decides the first half

Napoli and Frosinone met at the Maradona in the sixth round of Serie A, the Saturday evening fixture after the international break. Allegri changed Napoli's system from 4-3-3 to 3-4-2-1, with Lobotka and De Bruyne in central midfield and Neres and Lang supporting Hojlund. Badiashile made his debut at the Maradona as the left centre-back of a back three.

The opening minutes belonged to Napoli, and Hojlund hit the woodwork after three minutes. The breakthrough came from a penalty awarded after a contact between Cittadini and Hojlund, which referee Feliciani judged a foul. Hojlund's first attempt was saved by Palmisani, but the kick was retaken because the goalkeeper had moved off his line, and De Bruyne scored the second time. The goal was confirmed after a VAR review.

Lang doubled the lead at 32 minutes. Di Lorenzo, Hojlund and Lang combined down the left, and after Palmisani parried Hojlund's effort, Lang was quickest to the rebound. Neres came close to a third before the break, hitting the post.

Frosinone keeps pressing

Frosinone, unbeaten in four league matches before the game and carrying a run of 17 away results, did not retreat. Kvernadze and Ghedjemis looked to exploit the wings, and Alvini sent his side forward after the interval. The visitors struggled to turn territory into clear chances, and Meret was rarely tested.

Neres struck the outside of the net early in the second half, and Schmidt forced Meret into a save around the 68th minute. Allegri then made changes, with Lucca and McTominay coming on for Hojlund and Neres. McTominay returned to the pitch after a long absence following heart surgery and forced a save from Palmisani at 74 minutes.

Stoppage-time finish

De Bruyne completed his brace in the final minutes. Giovane entered the area on the left and crossed into the middle, and De Bruyne opened his body and finished past Palmisani. Il Messaggero described De Bruyne as the team's driving force, while Corriere della Sera described the win as a boost ahead of Napoli's Champions League trip to Villarreal on Tuesday.

Allegri has been rotating heavily because of injuries, and the result leaves Napoli 6 points behind the top of the table. Napoli's next fixtures are the Champions League match at Villarreal on Tuesday and a Serie A trip to Venezia on Saturday.