Conte furious after Napoli's 1-0 win over Lecce
Conte calls criticism of Napoli absurd; Milinkovic-Savic saves penalty before Anguissa heads home to make it 1-0 at Lecce, who temporarily top Serie A.
A brilliant dive from Vanja Milinkovic-Savic not only kept Napoli at the Stadio Via del Mare but also unlocked the game for Frank Andre Zambo Anguissa to head home a 1-0 win over Lecce. But the climax didn’t stop at the final whistle: Antonio Conte exploded, hitting back at suggestions Napoli were benefiting from their opponents’ injury woes.
Decisive moment: blocked penalty, headed goal to make it 1-0
Napoli endured a tense 90 minutes. The incident occurred when Noa Lang picked up an injury, before Juan Jesus handled the ball in the box, giving Lecce a penalty. On the 11m mark, Francesco Camarda was one-on-one with Milinkovic-Savic – and the goalkeeper guessed correctly, saving the decisive shot.
That save proved to be the turning point. From a tense game, Napoli regained their rhythm and converted their advantage with a header from Anguissa – the only goal of the game, enough for the southern team to leave Via del Mare with three points.
Conte responds to criticism, defends Napoli
At the heart of Conte's ire was the notion that Napoli were benefiting from their opponents being outnumbered. "People forget that we are also struggling. Now some are even trying to say that we are benefiting from the injuries to Lukaku and De Bruyne. That is absolutely absurd," he said bluntly.
Conte emphasized that his team is playing in a situation where the personnel are not the strongest, they have to patch together the force and require every position to be ready to take on the responsibility.
Message from the bench
The Italian coach defended his decision to invest in Milinkovic-Savic – the hero of the penalty – as a calculated choice that had “proven its worth”. He also sent a message to the dressing room: in times of uncertainty, Napoli need “guts, not composure”, and that scoring goals is the responsibility of the whole team, from defenders to strikers.
Personnel: Noa Lang is not too serious
Besides the three points, a positive signal comes from Noa Lang's situation. Conte said the injury this player suffered was not too serious, helping Napoli feel somewhat reassured when the match schedule is still dense.
Controversy and Spiritual Turning Point
A penalty after Juan Jesus’ handball could have changed the trajectory of the game. But Milinkovic-Savic’s save from Camarda turned pressure into momentum, setting the stage for Anguissa’s winner. Napoli went from being on the brink of dropping points to an advantage.
Consequences for the Serie A race
The hard-fought but costly victory temporarily took Napoli to the top of the Serie A table, putting pressure on the chasing pack. In the context of a depleted squad, the three points and the performance of the rookie goalkeeper were a big morale boost, and also reinforced Conte's argument that Napoli did not take shortcuts thanks to the opponent's injury luck.
