Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench to inspire Napoli to a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Genoa in their Serie A opener at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Antonio Conte's side were made to work for the three points before two late goals in five minutes settled a tense and fiery contest in Liguria.
Genoa had created the better openings during a cagey first half, with Vítinha firing wide early on and Alex Amorim forcing a sharp save from distance.
Daniele De Rossi's organised side remained disciplined after the break, successfully frustrating the visitors while looking threatening on the counter-attack.
Conte turned to his bench past the hour mark, introducing De Bruyne and Antonio Vergara to inject much-needed incision into the Napoli attack.
The breakthrough arrived in controversial fashion in the 82nd minute when De Bruyne finished smartly after Vergara teed him up inside the penalty area.
Genoa protested furiously to referee Marco Di Bello, claiming Johan Vásquez had been fouled in the build-up, but the goal stood after a check.
The hosts pushed forward in search of an immediate equaliser, but Napoli ruthlessly capitalised on the resulting space to seal victory.
De Bruyne turned provider in the 87th minute, releasing Vergara on a swift counter-attack to calmly slot home the decisive second goal.
The late flurry secured a winning start to the league season for the Partenopei, while a spirited Genoa side were left empty-handed despite their resolute display.
