Lazio left the Stadio Maradona with all three points on Sunday evening after Gustav Isaksen scored the only goal of the game on 79 minutes.
Here’s what coach Antonio Conte had to say afterwards:
“I’m not disappointed by the performance. I’m sorry about the result, but I’m not unhappy with the players’ attitude. This is the right path. We’re a team that wants to press, to take control of the game and tonight we did just that.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t sharp enough in the final pass. We lacked quality and clarity in the final third. However, I saw character and balance in the rest of our play. As I said, we managed to put pressure on Lazio, who are a very strong rival and they aren’t in their position by chance. We need to improve in the final phase, looking for that decisive play which was missing tonight.
“There may be more setbacks ahead, but this is the team that I want to see, with this mentality. We still have a lot of work to do, but we know we’re on the right track and this is the style of play that we need to embrace. Every match must be approached with total commitment, courage and determination, always aiming to outplay the opponent. We will grow, knowing that we’ve built solid foundations to continue building on with confidence.”
Alex Meret also shared his thoughts in the post-match press conference:
“Overall, we played well. Unfortunately, we lacked precision in attack, even though we created several chances to score. For most of the game, we held our shape well and showed the right attitude to go for the win.
“We weren’t clinical enough with our chances, while Lazio capitalised on their opportunity to score. They’re a very good side, but we were by no means inferior in terms of the quality of play.
“Now, we have to look ahead and respond immediately. We need to continue our journey, building on the many positives that we’ve shown so far and sticking to this path because it’s the right one for us.”
Napoli 0-1 Lazio (HT: 0-0)
Scorer: Isaksen 79.
NAPOLI: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera, Anguissa (Folorunsho 90), Lobotka (Gilmour 82), McTominay (Raspadori 82), Politano (Neres 76), Kvaratskhelia, Lukaku (Simeone 90).
Coach: Conte.
LAZIO: Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli (Patric 61), Tavares, Dele-Bashiru, Guendouzi, Isaksen, Dia (Pedro 72), Zaccagni, Castellanos (Noslin 72).
Coach: Baroni.
Referee: Colombo.
Booked: Dia, Guendouzi, McTominay, Rrahmani, Castellanos.