Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v AC Milan - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - March 30, 2025 Napoli coach Antonio Conte reacts during the match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) -Napoli coach Antonio Conte said his side had regained momentum in the Serie A title race following a 2-1 home win over AC Milan on Sunday.
The win moved Napoli three points behind leaders Inter Milan, who beat Udinese 2-1, while third-placed Atalanta lost 1-0 at Fiorentina.
"It's an important result that allows us to stay in Inter's slipstream and distance ourselves from fifth place," Conte told DAZN.
"The Champions League places weren't even our initial goal. We started out trying to get into Europe, but now we are there and after eight months of work it would be crazy not to believe in something extraordinary."
Napoli dominated the first half and took a 2-0 lead with goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku, but Milan managed to reduce the deficit when Luka Jovic scored in the second half, forcing Conte to adjust his tactical approach.
"This is one of those days when I hate being a coach," he said. "We dominated the first half, but let's not forget that AC Milan are a very good team ... and that they strengthened in January."
Napoli's Scott McTominay was left out due to flu symptoms and Leonardo Spinazzola was sidelined with an injury, while David Neres returned to the starting line up.
"We lost McTominay at the last minute, so I had to take the risk. Also, I had to force the situation with Frank Anguissa, who returned from international duty with an injury and David Neres hadn't played for a long time either," added Conte.
Despite a run of just one win in their previous seven league matches, Conte said that Sunday's victory injected a new sense of optimism into their pursuit of the title, yet he wants his team to take it one step at a time.
"We have to be aware that we are doing something extraordinary and miraculous. Yet, we have to be fierce, there are eight games left and then we will think about the future," the coach added.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
