Conte hails ‘special evening for Napoli’ after honouring Maradona with win
Napoli marked the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death with a 2-0 win against Qarabag in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Antonio Conte labelled Napoli’s 2-0 win over Qarabag as “a special evening for Naples” as they marked the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death with a victory at home.
Scott McTominay was once again the hero for Napoli, scoring the opener before forcing Mark Jankovic's own goal after Rasmus Hojlund had missed from the penalty spot.
Napoli have lost just one of their last 20 home games in the Champions League (W12 D7), with that loss coming against Real Madrid in the 2023-24 group stage.
Conte was delighted with both his players and the fans as they came together to provide a “positive energy” at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
“It was a special evening for Naples, for Napoli, for all Neapolitans. Maradona represents something it is difficult to explain unless you are here, so we wanted to honour this day,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
“There was positive energy in the stadium, we gave it, and also received it.
“Energy is so important, I need to be the first to have a lot of energy that I can pass on to the team. I took responsibility in Bologna, saying perhaps I wasn’t passing on the kind of energy I wanted to.
“Energy is fundamental, we need the right level, to help each other out, be able to suffer together for a united objective.”
McTominay has scored three goals in his last three Champions League games, having scored just once in his first 24 appearances in the competition.
His three goals in the Champions League this season is the joint-most by a Scottish player in a single campaign, after John McGinn in 2024-25 and Kenny Miller in 2006-07.
“I want to help the team. The coach asks for high standards, whether I score or not,” said the midfielder.
“The crowd here is iconic. I think of the dreams we’ve already achieved and those we still want to achieve for this club.”
