European football: McTominay strikes after 25 seconds as Napoli ease clear

Scott McTominay from Napoli found the back of the net just 25 seconds into the match, and both Romelu Lukaku and David Neres added goals as they defeated Como 3-1 on Friday. This victory allowed them to maintain their top position in Serie A.

Antonio Conte's Napoli leads the standings with 16 points after their first seven games, putting them four points ahead of Juventus, who will play against Cagliari on Sunday.

McTominay got the first goal by shooting the ball into the net after it bounced off the post. He was set up perfectly with a pass from Lukaku while he was inside the box.

Como generated several chances, highlighted by Nico Paz unleashing a strong shot from distance that hit the inside of the post before bouncing to safety. They brought the score level with Gabriel Strefezza’s low, long-range effort that navigated through a crowded area and found the bottom left corner just two minutes before halftime.

Lukaku regained the lead for the home team by converting a penalty just eight minutes into the second half after Sergi Roberto fouled Mathias Olivera. In the 86th minute, Neres added Napoli's third goal, taking advantage of a pass from Lukaku and scoring in a one-on-one situation, effectively ending the visitors' chances of leveling the match.

Lukaku, who has been working hard to get back in shape since joining the team in late August, had a standout game, contributing one goal and two assists.

"I showed up a bit behind schedule, but I've quickly settled in, thanks to my teammates, the coaching staff, and the supporters. We have to keep this momentum going; we've secured another victory," Lukaku said to Sky Sport Italia. He will be absent from Belgium's upcoming Nations League matches to focus on his work at Napoli. "Now, we’ll all head off to the national team, and for those of us staying here, we'll keep training and getting ready for the next matches."

Lukaku, who has scored three goals and provided four assists in five appearances for Napoli, acknowledged that the match wasn’t flawless. “There were times when we could have handled our counterattacks more effectively, but we need to analyze those moments to enhance our performance going forward,” he stated.

A last-minute own goal from Jesse Joronen secured a 2-1 win for Verona against Venezia. Gaetano Oristanio opened the scoring for Venezia just two minutes into the match, capitalizing on some lackluster defending to head in a corner.

The home team answered back seven minutes later when Casper Tengstedt capped off a lovely play with an impressive volley. Verona secured the victory nine minutes before the end when Grigoris Kastanos' header was inadvertently redirected into his own goal by the goalkeeper, Joronen.

Recently promoted Leganés played to a scoreless draw at home against Valencia, marking the team's seventh consecutive match without a win in La Liga.

The two teams have managed to score just 10 goals collectively this season, and the match was lackluster with minimal action near the goal. The first half saw no shots on target, and while Leganés tried to be more aggressive in the second half, their best chance to score came when Oscar's attempt hit the post.

Marseille had an opportunity to catch up with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in the Ligue 1 standings, but they ended up drawing 1-1 against last-place Angers. The match was overshadowed by red cards issued to players from both teams in the first half.

The home team got a fortunate break when Angers’ Lilian Rao-Lisoa received a red card for a foul in the 26th minute. However, Marseille’s Neal Maupay, who is on loan from Everton, was issued two unfair yellow cards within just three minutes, forcing him to leave the pitch only four minutes later.

Marseille went ahead just six minutes into the second half, thanks to substitute Jonathan Rowe. Angers responded with Farid El Melali scoring his first goal of the season, equalizing the match with a stunning free kick in the 54th minute.