Napoli's Champions League match against Manchester City took a turn when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off in the first half. Antonio Conte, observing from the sidelines, saw his team fall 2-0 to City. Erling Haaland made history by scoring his 50th goal in just 49 matches, while Jeremy Doku added another with a solo effort in the 65th minute.
Di Lorenzo's red card came in the 21st minute after he fouled Haaland, attempting to intercept the ball. Initially, referee Felix Zwayer dismissed appeals but changed his decision after reviewing the incident on the monitor. This made Di Lorenzo the third Napoli player to be sent off in Champions League history.
Conte expressed his frustration with the early dismissal, stating, "Honestly, I did not see the situation.
When you have a red card after 20 minutes, you are dressing the game in one way. " He acknowledged that playing with ten men against a team like Manchester City was challenging and affected their performance significantly.
Despite being down a player, Napoli managed to create one significant chance. Sam Beukema's header almost gave them an early lead but was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Napoli's expected goals (xG) stood at 0.17 compared to City's 2.18 from their numerous attempts.
Conte noted that playing against City is tough even with a full squad and praised his team's defensive efforts despite conceding two goals. He remarked, "Defensively, we were really good. I don't have anything to tell my players – the commitment, the attitude was good. "
Napoli has struggled historically against English teams away from home, failing to win any of their 13 encounters (D3 L10). Three of these matches were against City (D1 L2). Conte remains optimistic about using this experience for future games.
The red card forced Conte to make tactical changes early on. Kevin De Bruyne was substituted for Mathias Olivera after just 26 minutes. De Bruyne had been eager to perform at Etihad Stadium following his move from Manchester to Naples.
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Conte expressed regret over substituting De Bruyne in such circumstances but acknowledged it was necessary given the situation. "It was the only option I could do," Conte said, adding that De Bruyne understood why it had to be done.
Looking ahead, Conte is focused on preparing for upcoming matches both in the league and Champions League. He believes that despite this setback, Napoli can still perform well and achieve positive results moving forward.
