On 10 August 2013, Higuaín played his first match as a starter in a pre-season friendly against Benfica, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win. On 25 August, he made his Serie A debut in a 3–0 defeat of Bologna on the opening day of the 2013–14 season. A week later, he opened his goalscoring account in a 4–2 win away at Chievo. He followed this up with goals in Napoli's next two fixtures: wins over Atalanta at home and Milan at the San Siro.