Manchester City's former player shines in the Champions League as Højlund scores twice and De Bruyne provides two assists; Napoli beats Sporting CP 2-1.

At 3 a.m. Beijing time on October 2nd, in the second round of the Champions League group stage, Napoli faced Sporting CP at home.

During the first half, De Bruyne made a breakthrough run and assisted Højlund, who scored a solo goal to open the scoring, putting Napoli ahead 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, Politano conceded a penalty, which Suárez converted to level the score, but the former Manchester City player struck again when De Bruyne assisted Højlund to net the go-ahead goal.

In the end, Napoli secured a 2-1 home victory over Sporting CP, earning their first Champions League win of the season!

In the Napoli vs Sporting CP match, Conte deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation with Højlund leading the attack; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, and McTominay formed the midfield quartet; Lobotka played as the lone defensive midfielder; Spinazzola, Bekema, Juan, and Gutierrez made up the back four; Vania was in goal. The starting lineup's total market value was €236 million. Borges lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a starting value of €267 million, even higher than Napoli's.

In this match, both teams were evenly matched, but the two former Manchester City players linked up twice to change the game. Former City player De Bruyne assisted twice, and former Manchester United player Højlund scored a brace. Interestingly, Højlund has proven himself and shone in the Champions League at Napoli, defeating Sporting CP, the former club of Manchester United’s coach Amorim. After the game, Højlund earned the highest rating of 8.7, while De Bruyne received 8.0, the only two players rated 8 or above. With former Manchester United players shining after their transfers, the value of Ronaldo's aquarium remarks continues to rise.

Throughout the match, Napoli held 51% possession, taking 12 shots with 3 on target; Sporting CP had 8 shots with 4 on goal.