After suffering a 2 0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League Antonio Conte speaks of cruel twist of fate a sending off and apologies to Kevin De Bruyne as he reflects on what went wrong for Napoli .
Napoli’s Night Turned Sour
Napoli suffered a 2 0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League with goals from Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku The match shifted dramatically in the twenty first minute when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card for a foul on Haaland This left Napoli with ten men and forced them into a difficult position against a dominant City side .
Conte’s Devil Comment A Cruel Twist of Fate
After the match Antonio Conte shared his frustration describing the defeat as if the devil had intervened He said sometimes the devil takes a turn there is a cruel twist of fate Last year we did not have a sending off today in the Champions League we did Conte stressed that Napoli had begun the match strongly and were well prepared but the red card destroyed their rhythm and their chances He added that if the game had remained eleven against eleven City would have been given a much tougher challenge .
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The De Bruyne Factor and Tactical Adjustments
Conte was also forced into an early substitution involving Kevin De Bruyne who was facing his former club De Bruyne was taken off around the twenty sixth minute Conte explained it was the only decision he could make and admitted he felt sorry for the Belgian midfielder Conte said he had robbed the player of the satisfaction of facing his old club and at the same time robbed himself of a key asset Conte apologized directly to De Bruyne noting that tactical necessity forced him into the change With ten men on the pitch Napoli had to adjust their formation and defensive approach earlier than planned which limited their attacking options and gave City more control .
Bitter Taste and Apologies
Conte admitted that the loss left a bitter taste for him and the team He reflected that the sending off ruined their match plan and that despite a promising start Napoli could not recover from the disadvantage He also offered an apology to the supporters saying that when a team is reduced to ten men in such a critical contest everything is disrupted and it becomes impossible to execute the intended plan Conte acknowledged that this reality made the defeat even harder to accept .
Final Thoughts Lessons and Outlook
Although frustrated Conte suggested that the match should be seen as a valuable lesson for Napoli He emphasized the importance of discipline under pressure as a red card in a crucial match can change everything He also highlighted the need for tactical flexibility since unexpected situations require rapid adjustments Finally he pointed to the importance of mental resilience urging his team not to be overwhelmed by what he described as a twist of fate Conte concluded that while the loss was painful Napoli must turn the experience into motivation to recover quickly and push forward in the Champions League .