UCL: Antonio Conte Is Delighted With His Players' Performance And Output On A Special Day For Napoli

Just like we’ve seen in the Italian Serie A this season with the current Champions, Napoli overcame a slow start in Europe’s elite competition competition to secure a 2-0 win over Qarabag in the Champions League at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium with Scott McTominay at the heart of the action.

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Early errors left the home side on the back foot against the surprise team of the UCL but a second-half revival highlighted their tactical flexibility and growing cohesion as McTominay opened the scoring and later produced a spectacular overhead effort that forced an own goal to secure the maximum points.

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With this result, they now have two wins in the UCL after five games played while also securing their second straight win in all competitions too following the win over Atalanta in the league, and now, they will look to the upcoming top of the table clash against Roma with renewed confidence.

The Partenopei were feeling the pressure after some disappointing results in Europe, and were particularly frustrated after Hojlund saw his penalty saved but they eventually managed to break down their opponent with a McTominay header and another of his acrobatic volleys that went in off Marko Jankovic.

Coupled with Saturday’s 3-1 victory at the weekend, it does feel as if they have turned a corner. As if to again show there is unity with the squad, Conte waited at the final whistle to celebrate with his players in the centre circle, as the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona marked the fifth anniversary of the Napoli legend’s passing.

“It was a special evening for Naples, for Napoli, for all Neapolitans. Maradona represents something it is difficult to explain unless you are here, so we wanted to honour this day. There was positive energy in the stadium, we gave it, and also received it.” Conte said to Sky Sport Italia in his post match interview.

It is just over two weeks since his angry reaction to their 2-0 Serie A defeat to Bologna, when he lashed out at the players and media, saying he didn’t want to carry “a dead” team. So is the team alive and kicking? “Napoli was not dead, so it’s not about being alive. It’s about working and always giving everything we’ve got.”

“We can win games or not, but the lads know they must give everything each time.” The Injury crisis is just getting worse, as Miguel Gutierrez was ruled out by a sprain in training, joining Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne, Leonardo Spinazzola and Romelu Lukaku on the treatment table.

“We are in a very difficult situation, there were seven players on the bench tonight, two were goalkeepers and two young prospects. It is a tough time and has been since the start of the season. If you don’t have many players to choose from, then you must find different solutions.”

“Also knowing the risks of using the same players repeatedly and making new injuries more likely. We’ve had some good performances against Atalanta and Qarabag, who let us not forget drew 2-2 with Chelsea, they beat Benfica and Copenhagen.” He further added.

“There are no easy games in the Champions League. I felt a good energy in the team, even at half-time I was confident we would get the result.” Conte drilled into the issue of that positive energy and insists that is what he was trying to describe during the post-Bologna row.

“Energy is so important, I need to be the first to have a lot of energy that I can pass on to the team. I took responsibility in Bologna, saying perhaps I wasn’t passing on the kind of energy I wanted to. Energy is fundamental, we need the right level, to help each other out, be able to suffer together for a united objective.”

“Sometimes people judge teams on results, but I say in such a difficult campaign when we’ve been chasing throughout, it’s tough. There are many situations I can control, but injuries aren’t one of them. Yesterday, we had only 15 minutes to train because of a storm, and in that 15 minutes Gutierrez suffered a sprain.”

“People look at the results, say ah Napoli are in crisis, but not the circumstances around the results. When we are in an emergency situation, I feel the responsibility level of everyone has grown exponentially, as the players recognise how tough it is and the danger we are going into.”

“Today was the first time Spinazzola didn’t feel pain in the adductors, so I hope he can train with us on Thursday, otherwise we’ll need to find someone else to fill in for Gutierrez. So we’ll enjoy it tonight, then from tomorrow we’ll put the helmet on and get back to battle,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, for the hero of the game, McTominay admitted on the team’s initial struggles but praised their response as he reflected on the game: “The first minutes were difficult, too many mistakes, but it can happen. In the second half we were better, but we needed to score more goals.”

His influence goes beyond scoring, helping shape Napoli’s midfield and defensive transitions. “I want to help the team. The coach asks for high standards, whether I score or not,” he explained, underscoring his commitment to the squad’s overall collective goals.

The match also served as a tribute to Maradona, on the 5th anniversary of the club legend’s death, with the crowd creating an electric atmosphere that inspired the players and McTominay captured the feeling, noting: “The crowd here is iconic. I think of the dreams we’ve already achieved and those we still want to achieve for this club.”

Read Also: “It Will Be A Stadium For Everyone, Something That We Will All Be Proud Of”

With this result, Napoli consolidate momentum in Europe while showing they can respond to early setbacks, blending individual brilliance and team discipline and will now look towards their next opponent to with renewed confidence where a win can help them in the Scudetto race.

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