Made in Manchester: De Bruyne and McTominay lead Napoli to a 2-0 win over Sassuolo

MILAN (AP) — Napoli’s former Premier League players lit up Serie A on the opening day of the new season on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne netted in his debut and Scott McTominay scored the opener as Antonio Conte's team kicked off its Serie A title defense with a comfortable 2-0 win at Serie B champion Sassuolo.

Massimiliano Allegri's return to AC Milan got off to a dismal start as the Rossoneri lost 2-1 at home to newly promoted Cremonese. Gian Piero Gasperini's first match in charge of Roma ended in a 1-0 victory over Bologna.

McTominay joined Napoli from Manchester United last year in a move that was so successful he ended up being named Serie A player of the year.

And the 28-year-old picked up where he left off last season by scoring Napoli’s first goal of the new campaign in the 17th minute, peeling away from his marker to head Matteo Politano's cross from the right into the top near corner.

McTominay also sent a fierce effort crashing off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time, while Politano hit the post before Napoli doubled its lead in somewhat strange circumstances.

De Bruyne whipped in a free kick from wide on the left — practically on the touchline — and it went over everyone in the area before bouncing on the ground and going into the far bottom corner.

The 34-year-old De Bruyne, a two-time Premier League player of the season, joined Napoli in June on a free transfer after 10 years at Manchester City.

Sassuolo ended the match with 10 men after midfielder Ismaël Koné was sent off following a second yellow card, with 11 minutes remaining.

Cremonese marked its return to the Italian top flight with a first ever victory over Milan at San Siro thanks to an early contender for goal of the season from Federico Bonazzoli.

The 28-year-old Bonazzoli, who started his career at Inter Milan, scored what was to prove the winner in the 61st minute with an acrobatic, overhead kick into the bottom corner.

Strahinja Pavlovic had headed in the equalizer in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Federico Baschirotto's 28th-minute opener.

Allegri, who left Milan in 2014, rejoined the Rossoneri at the end of May to replace the fired Sergio Conceicao.

Wesley scored in his Serie A debut to give Gasperini a strong start to his Roma career.

The Brazil defender, who joined from Flamengo in July, brought down a long ball over the top and cut inside where he appeared to be intercepted by Jhon Lucumí but the Bologna defender only succeeded in prodding the ball back into the path of Wesley, who fired across into the bottom left corner.

Bologna lost both Ciro Immobile and Nicoló Casale to injuries in the first half.

Elsewhere, Genoa drew 0-0 at home to Lecce.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Roma's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini follows the game of the Serie A soccer match between Roma and Bologna at Rome's Olympic Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Cremonese's Federico Bonazzoli, right, scores his side's second goal during a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Cremonese, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

AC Milan's head coach Massimiliano Allegri, right, reacts at the end of a Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Cremonese, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Napoli's Scott Mc Tominay celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Napoli at the Mapei Stadium Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne, center right, scores during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Napoli at the Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Kevin De Bruyne celebrates with teammate Scott McTominay after scoring during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Napoli at the Mapei Stadium Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

MIAMI (AP) — Anfernee Simons scored 18 of his season-high 39 points in the fourth quarter, Jaylen Brown added 27 and the Boston Celtics trailed most of the way before rallying to beat the Miami Heat 119-114 on Thursday night.

Sam Hauser added 17 points for the Celtics, who outscored Miami 36-21 in the fourth quarter and won after facing as much as a 19-point deficit. It was their second-biggest comeback win of the season, after coming from 20 down to beat Indiana on Dec. 22.

Simons had the second highest-scoring game for a reserve this season — Utah's Brice Sensabaugh had 43 on Wednesday night in a loss to Chicago — and became the fourth Celtics player in the last 50 years to score at least 39 off the bench. The others: Larry Bird, Todd Day and Payton Pritchard.

Norman Powell scored 26 points for Miami, which got 22 points apiece from Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. Andrew Wiggins added 16 for the Heat.

Simons had 11 consecutive Boston points in the fourth quarter to chip away at what was left of the Miami edge, and then Hauser got an open 3-pointer with 5:21 left to give the Celtics their first lead since the opening minute of the game.

The lead changed hands twice more, before Brown's 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining put Boston on top for good.

Miami started the game on a 28-9 run, putting the Celtics in a most unusual early position.

That 19-point margin — only about seven minutes into the game — matched the biggest first-quarter deficit the Celtics faced in a 304-game span since trailing Indiana by 20 early on in a game on Dec. 21, 2022. Boston also trailed Milwaukee by 19 in the first quarter on April 9, 2024.

The Heat played without starting point guard Davion Mitchell (left shoulder contusion) and sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. (left knee soreness).

Celtics: At Atlanta on Saturday night.

Heat: Host Oklahoma City on Saturday night.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons, center, is defended by Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) comes under pressure from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons (4) goes for the basket defended by Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware, obscured, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat guard Norman Powell (24) reacts after making a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra watches from courtside during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)