Modric and De Bruyne meet as Milan beat Napoli 2-1 to tighten race

AC Milan beat Napoli 2-1 at the San Siro on Sunday, a match that marked the first Serie A meeting between midfield veterans Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne since their summer moves to Italy and reshuffled the early standings in a tightly contested title race. Milan took a two goal lead in the first half through Christian Pulisic and Alexis Saelemaekers, Pervis Estupiñán was sent off in the second half, and De Bruyne converted a penalty to pull Napoli within one before the Rossoneri held on.

Milan struck early when Pulisic opened the scoring, and Saelemaekers doubled the advantage to give the hosts control. Napoli’s hopes of salvaging a result were bolstered when Estupiñán was dismissed midway through the second half for a foul on Giovanni Di Lorenzo in the penalty area. De Bruyne stepped up from the spot to make it 2-1, but Napoli were unable to find an equalizer before the final whistle.

The game was notable for the meeting of two midfield figures who have repeatedly crossed paths in the Champions League. Modric, 40, has been a key figure for Milan since leaving Real Madrid, scoring and creating in Serie A early this season. Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said Modric “always...