
Kevin De Bruyne's Napoli given brutal reality check by minnows who asked for photos with Man City legend at full time
And to make matters even more embarrassing, the opponents asked the Premier League legend to pose for PICTURES at full-time.
3
3
De Bruyne, who recently joined as a free agent from Manchester City, was handed his first start by manager Antonio Conte.
Minnow side Arezzo struck twice, once late in each half, to secure a remarkable pre-season win over the champions of Italy.
The opener came through Emiliano Pattarello's covered penalty just before halftime, catching Napoli off guard after an otherwise comfortable 45 minutes.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Muhamed Varela doubled Arezzo's lead to seal a famous victory at Napoli's own training camp venue.
But despite the result classy De Bruyne took time to stand for photos after being asked by a string of Arezzo players on Tuesday evening.
The Belgian great, 34, was spotted standing in the middle of the pitch, with his boots off and looking red faced while smiling into the camera.
De Bruyne was subbed off at half-time for defensive midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, while former Prem star Romelu Lukaku got a full second half.
De Bruyne will wear the No.11 shirt in the coming season but, as a welcome gesture from the club, he has been training wearing Diego Maradona's retired No10 on his shorts.
3
Notably absent from Conte's squad were Serie A Player of the Season Scott McTominay and Matteo Politano.
Both players were ruled out due to muscle fatigue.
Man Utd hunting Jackson as Chelsea's demands revealed | Transfers Exposed
The pair have reportedly been managing minor strains caused by the intense physical demands of Conte's pre-season sessions.
Arezzo's goalkeeper, Luca Trombini, was the standout performer, denying Napoli repeatedly with a string of big saves.
Napoli's pre-season continues with another friendly scheduled against Serie B outfit Catanzaro on July 26.
Their title defence begins with a trip to Sassuolo on August 23.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Flights to watch Lionesses in Euros final selling out as England fans make last-gasp dash to Switzerland - but you CAN still get there
Direct flights to Basel this weekend are currently as rare as hen's teeth as fans flock to the Swiss city ahead of the Euros final between England's Lionesses and Spain on Sunday - but there are still ways to get there. During the national team's nail-biting semi-final against Italy, in which the Lionesses secured a spot in the final thanks to a re-bounded Chloe Kelly penalty in the 118th minute, British Airways reported a 480 per cent surge in searches for Basel. And with just two days left to go until the team goes for its second consecutive Euros title, a flight into Basel, which also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May, will set you back around £865. BA said earlier in the week it would be upgrading flights on the route to larger capacity aircraft to meet demand - but flights have now largely sold out, although a Saturday to Tuesday break is still possible, for around £660, with the carrier. Flights to Zurich, around an hour away by road or rail, are also still available and enterprising travel companies have added extra coach trips to meet demand too. British coach company Coach Innovations is offering travel-only return journeys to Basel for £229 including ferry travel from destinations including Birmingham, Northampton, South Mimms, Thurrock, Maidstone and Dover. However, the trips don't include match tickets. Can you still get seats to watch the match, which kicks off at 6pm local time? Yes, is the answer, with re-sale site Ticombo currently with plenty of options. Basel bound! Larger aircraft and coach travel has been laid on for football fans ahead of the Lionesses quest for a second Euros title On Friday morning, there were just over 500 tickets on offer, with £169 the cheapest ticket price - and the priciest coming in at £3,501. The official UEFA site also offers re-sale tickets at 11am, with tomorrow and Sunday the last opportunities to purchase tickets at face value. It was revealed yesterday that Prince William will be in attendance for the final this Sunday - two years after criticism for not watching them in the World Cup showpiece. He took to social media after England staged a thrilling late comeback against Italy on Tuesday night, writing: 'Brilliant performance @Lionesses! One game from glory! #WEURO2025. And now it has been confirmed by Kensington Palace that Prince William will put his summer holiday on hold. The FA president will jet off to Basel in Switzerland for the final against the winner of Wednesday's second semi-final between Spain and Germany. Back in 2023, the Prince of Wales turned down flying to Australia to watch England play Spain in the Women's World Cup final. Basel remains perhaps Europe's most fascinating and bizarre place to fly to, this airport is the only place on Earth where you can simultaneously land in three countries. With each exit serving an entirely different country, the airport is one for any keen aviation fan's bucket list. Located in the north-eastern French region of Alsace, Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Airport serves the nearby cities of Basel, Switzerland, Mulhouse, France and Freiburg, Germany. Set in the hub of the 'trinational Eurodistrict', the three countries overlap into one zone, with the airport split into both a French customs border and a Swiss customs border. Operated by both France and Switzerland, the unique airport's board includes eight members from each, alongside two German advisers. Dubbed the 'strangest airport in the world', the 'gateway to the trinational region' has frequently featured on TikTok. One fan, speaking to his followers about the unique travel hub, said: 'It's the only airport that gives you access to three different countries at the same time. 'It is the only airport in the world that is managed by two different countries at the same time. 'That means the moment you arrive, within the same building you can choose to take the exit through the French side or the Swiss side. This is just crazy.'


ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
England v Spain: Where and when to watch Women's Euro 2025 final
England have booked their place in the Women's Euros 2025 final after beating Italy 2-1 in extra time. The Lionesses' showdown against Spain will be their third consecutive major final, following the 2023 World Cup and the previous Women's Euros in 2022, which they won 2-1 against Germany. Sarina Wiegman's side will enter the final with a sense of déjà vu, having won the last Euros but lost their last major match against Spain in the World Cup final two years ago. Both sides have had plenty of last-minute dramatics in the run-up to the final, with the Lionesses in particular eeking out late wins over Sweden and Italy in the quarter and semi-finals, respectively. As both England and Spain battle to be crowned the best side in Europe, here is all you need to know... Where and when is the final? The final of the Women's Euros 2025 will take place on Sunday at the St. Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland. Kick off is at 5pm UK time. How did England make it to the final? Heading into the tournament, Spain had been tipped to add more silverware to their collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. The Lionesses faced a tough group at the start of the tournament, with France, the Netherlands and Wales making up Group D. They also had to make do without three of their most experienced players, with Mary Earps, Millie Bright and Fran Kirby all announcing they wouldn't be playing in the tournament. In the opening match, England suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to France, earning the unwanted title of being the first defending Euros winner to lose their opening match in the next tournament. However, despite a dismal start, the Lionesses sailed past the Netherlands and Wales to book themselves into the play-off stages. In the quarter-finals, England faced off against Sweden. And, with 12 minutes remaining, it looked like the Lionesses were going home. Two quick goals saw them stage an improbable comeback and force a penalty shootout. The penalty shootout featured nine misses before England eventually eked out a 3-2 win. England continued to live on the brink during their tie with Italy in the semi-finals. Italy was forced into extra time because substitute Michelle Agyemang levelled the game deep into stoppage time. But a 2-1 win after extra time saw them set the stage with Spain for the final. Another substitute, Chloe Kelly, scored the decisive goal in the 119th minute, shooting home the rebound only after Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani saved her penalty kick. How can you watch the final? The Euros final is being shown on ITV and BBC on Sunday, as well as on ITVX and BBC iPlayer.


South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Keira Walsh wants more protection for players from online abuse
Carter announced she would be stepping away from the platforms for the remainder of the tournament ahead of England's dramatic 2-1 semi-final comeback against Italy to set up Sunday's final showdown with Spain. Walsh came off social media after the 2019 World Cup, when reading negative comments contributed to the midfielder genuinely entertaining the thought of quitting football. 'I think it's just a personal preference,' said Walsh, who did return to the networks, but has – bar a single post – been inactive on X since 2020. Lately, her Instagram account has solely been comprised of tagged posts by the Lionesses, or her respective current and former clubs Chelsea and Barcelona. 'I haven't had social media for the best part of four or five months, and I feel a lot better most of the time,' said Walsh. 'I don't really know what's going on outside of camp. I think at the time, with what's going on, probably more people have come off it, but I can only speak for myself. 'I think obviously the girls are smart enough to know what they should and shouldn't be looking at, and I'm sure they'll know what is going to put them in a good headspace and what isn't. 'Do I think there's enough protection on social media? No, I don't, but I'm not going to be able to change that. That's not up to me, but I think just in general, people can be more protected on social media, and I think we can do more to stop that from happening.' England defender Lucy Bronze has warned companies that athletes can 'thrive' without their services, but the reality remains that in the women's game – where new Arsenal recruit Olivia Smith just became the first £1 million player – brand-building on social media can be a lucrative tool for players earning nowhere near their male equivalents. Carter's case has now been referred to UK police, and, in a statement released Sunday, Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham vowed his organisation will 'ensure those responsible for this hate crime are brought to justice'. One feature of the Online Safety Act, which received royal assent in October 2023, places a greater onus on social media companies to protect users from illegal content. Companies can be fined up to £18 million, or 10 per cent of their global revenue, if they fail to comply with their duties, but Ofcom – which is implementing the act in a phased approach – has only been able to enforce against the Illegal Harms Codes since March 17, 2025. 'I think we would have liked it to have been stronger in some cases,' said Bullingham. 'There's a real risk that if we're not firm in how the act is implemented, it won't be as strong as we hope. 'I think now it's incumbent on Ofcom to make sure they really do bring those responsible for running social media platforms to account and I haven't seen huge progress in the last couple of years. We would like to see it now.' Foreign social media companies operating within the UK are still beholden to the act, but prosecuting individuals living outside the country responsible for abusive content – which is not uncommon – remains a huge hinderance to justice. Bullingham added: 'If you look at the prosecution, obviously we can only work with the UK police, generally. There are, when we work with some of the companies that support us, there are occasions where you can prosecute outside the UK, but it's really hard and generally really expensive.' The FA chief said his organisation has engaged in productive conversations with FIFA and UEFA, encouraging them to put pressure on social media companies to prevent harmful content from appearing in the first place. He added: 'But where there are occasions, make sure we can prosecute. And we do think that people who perpetrate these hate crimes should be prosecuted wherever they are in the world.'