Napoli Boss Conte Says It Should Hurt Players After Copenhagen Stalemate In Champions League

Napoli’s 1-1 draw away to Copenhagen left Antonio Conte deeply frustrated, with the Champions League play-off race now in danger. Thomas Delaney’s first-half red card put the Danish side down to 10 players, yet Napoli failed to secure victory and now face a decisive final group game against Chelsea.

Scott McTominay struck shortly after Delaney’s dismissal, giving Napoli a first-half lead that seemed to place the match under control. However, Jordan Larsson equalised in the second half, converting the rebound after Napoli’s goalkeeper saved the initial penalty, leaving the Serie A champions with only a single point.

The draw leaves Napoli 23rd in the 36-team Champions League table, with eight points from their games so far. Depending on other Wednesday

results, Napoli could drop out of the play-off positions, which would increase pressure before facing Chelsea, as they may need a win to keep their European campaign alive.

Conte did not hide disappointment with the performance or the missed chance, stressing that the circumstances had favoured Napoli. "It hurts me, and it ought to hurt my players. We must be angry with ourselves," Conte told Sky Sport Italia. The head coach underlined that the opportunity to secure progression had been clear.

Napoli dominated the numbers at Parken. The visitors produced sustained pressure, had far more of the ball, and restricted Copenhagen until late on, yet still failed to turn control into a decisive result that would have strengthened their Champions League play-off hopes.

Despite those figures, all of Copenhagen’s attempts arrived after the 60th minute, as Napoli’s intensity dropped. The Italian side also failed to win a Champions League away match in which they led at half-time for the first time since a 1-1 draw with Liverpool in November 2019, underlining a repeated issue in closing games.

Conte pointed out that the team had already shown signs of difficulty in previous matches. "We ought to be disappointed. The game was in the right condition to win and reach the play-offs. We might have a thousand excuses, but they don't fit, because the match was going so well with those circumstances that we had to win. We showed for the fourth game in a row that we struggle. We were in total control, with 11 men against 10, so even if you're missing 10 players and feeling fatigue, you have to win these games. You just have to. There is disappointment because we didn't manage it, so evidently our level right now is not suited to this competition. We only have eight Champions League points; we've got to all accept the blame here, you've got to take home the result in a situation like this. There's not much else to say, we just have to be angry with ourselves, because it was a golden opportunity, and perhaps we didn't realise what was at stake. It was like we were riding a bike downhill and somehow managed to make it go uphill all by ourselves. "

Napoli travelled to Denmark with an extensive injury list, lacking several regular starters. Matteo Politano, Amir Rrahmani, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret, Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour and David Neres were all unavailable, forcing changes across the side. Conte, though, refused to let absences become the main explanation for the dropped points.

The coach highlighted that, even with those injuries and visible fatigue, Napoli’s advantage in players and territory should have been enough. The team’s response to the situation, rather than physical limits, troubled Conte most, especially given the importance of this Champions League fixture in the wider season context.

Conte explained that Napoli failed to press home the advantage when leading and a player up. "What I told the squad was that we had the game in hand, so it was important to score a second and third goal," he said. "I've been here many times, I know, in these games any incident can happen, and you are then left licking your wounds. Well, it happened, and now we lick our wounds. It's disappointing, because for all the thousand excuses we could have, we were dominating this match and managed to make it difficult for ourselves. That is sad, as we work so hard. This has to annoy us, because if it doesn't annoy us, then it means we don't want to grow and improve. It's not possible to let Copenhagen back into this game down to 10 men, understanding the importance of this match. We know what football is like, you have to be fired up and hungry from the first second to the last, otherwise you risk this. "

As Napoli prepare to meet Chelsea in their final group fixture, scrutiny will focus on the team’s mentality as much as tactics. Conte’s comments suggest the squad is expected to respond with greater focus and aggression, aware that another lapse could end their Champions League ambitions for this season.