Napoli got their delayed Serie A campaign off to a winning start with a convincing win against 10-man Cesena.
Ezequiel Lavezzi struck after three minutes, but Cesena stuck to their task and were rewarded when Roberto Guana finished a move he started by sliding the ball past Morgan de Sanctis on 24 minutes.
The complexion of the game changed 10 minutes into the second period when Cesena’s Yohan Benalouane received a second yellow for handling Hugo Campagnaro’s pass.
Campagnaro took full advantage midway through the half when he caught Marco Rossi napping to score from close range before Azzurri sub Marek Hamsik put the game beyond doubt after blasting home from the edge of the box with three minutes remaining.
The Azzurri finished third in last season’s campaign after a spirited challenge for the Serie A title and Walter Mazzari was looking to get the strike-delayed season off to a flying start.