NAPLES, Italy (Interstat) — Napoli opened its Serie A season with a 1-0 victory over Udinese on Sunday at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, riding an early goal from forward Rasmus Højlund to secure all three points.

Højlund scored in the 24th minute, converting a pass from midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for the match’s only goal. De Bruyne’s assist came despite the Belgian receiving a yellow card in the 10th minute for a foul in midfield. Udinese midfielder Jesper Karlström was also booked in the 51st minute for a tackle from behind.

The win gave Napoli a 1-0 record in both league play and across all competitions. Udinese dropped to 0-1 in Serie A and 0-1 overall.

Napoli controlled possession for large stretches, but Udinese created several second-half chances, including a header that sailed over the crossbar in the 68th minute and a low drive that forced a diving save from Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret in the 81st minute. Udinese’s best look came in the 73rd minute when forward Lorenzo Lucca broke free on the left side, but his angled shot struck the outside of the near post.

Napoli’s defense, marshaled by center back Kim Min-jae, held firm despite losing left back Mathías Olivera to a hamstring injury in the 58th minute. Olivera was replaced by Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who shifted from his usual right-back role to the left side.

The hosts nearly doubled their lead in the 39th minute when Højlund’s header from a corner kick was cleared off the line by Udinese defender Rodrigo Becão. In the 87th minute, Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka fired a long-range effort that goalkeeper Marco Silvestri tipped over the bar.

Udinese’s attack struggled to generate sustained pressure, managing only two shots on target in the second half. Midfielder Sandi Lovrić picked up a knock in the 64th minute but continued playing after treatment.

The match marked the Serie A opener for both clubs. Napoli has now won four of its past five home matches against Udinese in all competitions.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Napoli 2, Udinese 1, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Napoli a 63.60 percent probability to win.