A goal from Rasmus Højlund enabled Napoli to recover from two consecutive losses, securing a 2-0 victory against AC Milan and a spot in the Italian Supercoppa final.
The Serie A champions had faced unexpected defeats against Benfica and Udinese before heading to Riyadh for this mid-season tournament.
As the Supercoppa defenders, AC Milan were aiming to retain their title. However, David Neres broke the stalemate in the 39th minute, and Højlund, on loan from Manchester United, sealed Napoli’s win with an additional goal 18 minutes into the second half, affirming their place in Monday’s final.
AC Milan, managed by Massimiliano Allegri, had also faced difficulties, dropping points against Sassuolo and experiencing an early exit from the Coppa Italia against Lazio in early December.
With Romelu Lukaku on the bench after recovery, Højlund was given another chance to take the lead. Milan, however, started stronger, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek failing to capitalize on an early opportunity.
Neres answered back for Napoli with his own attempt before Milan’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan nearly paid for a miscalculation at a corner.
Following a near miss by Scott McTominay for Napoli, the four-time Scudetto winners took the lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.
Just after Christopher Nkunku missed his shot, Napoli countered, and Højlund’s spin-and-shot was deflected by Maignan, leaving Neres to tap in the rebound.
Neres celebrated with Lukaku along the sidelines, and it almost became 2-0 before half-time, but Maignan thwarted Højlund’s attempt.
Maignan’s challenging evening nearly took another hit when VAR reviewed his challenge on Matteo Politano, but no penalty was awarded.
At the 63-minute mark, Højlund skillfully outmaneuvered Maignan, driving home an excellent finish from a narrow angle to extend Napoli’s lead.
With the match slipping away from them, Milan’s frustrations grew, leading to bookings for both McTominay and Fikayo Tomori after a clash.
McTominay had a chance to redeem himself shortly after but missed the target during a fast break, yet this did not prevent Napoli from advancing to the final, where they await a matchup against either Inter Milan or Bologna.