Napoli Destroy Bologna, Antonio Conte: New Spirit And Focus Against Parma

Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo celebrated the goal he scored in the match against Bologna. (sscnapoli.it)

Napoli got up to hit Bologna 3-0 in the Italian Serie A match. Coach Antonio Conte said the win was a new spirit for Napoli and the team focused on the following match against Parma.

Napoli showed a revival. After experiencing a slump when Verona was beaten 3-0 in the first match of the competition, Napoli responded quickly by winning the first three points at home to Bologna at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Monday, August 26, 2024 in the morning WIB.

The victory immediately improved Napoli's ranking in the standings. Now, I Partenopei is ranked 11th with point three. Meanwhile, Bologna slumped at the bottom. By having point one, Bologna occupies the 18th position or is in the relegation zone.

Coach Antonio Conte believes the success of winning in the second match shows Napoli has risen. According to him, the victory was the starting point for the team to play a long competition.

"We accept great responsibility in this match. And this is an impressive response from this team after playing very badly, especially in the second half, against Verona," Conte was quoted as saying by Football Italia.

"I actually don't doubt the players. I see they are working hard and getting answers from what they are doing," he said again.

"This three-point gain is the beginning of our journey as well as a new spirit. These are my first three points as coach of Napoli. I have been emotionally watching the team win," said the coach who successfully anchored Inter Milan and Juventus.

Conte, further, said that the results in the second match had increased the confidence of the players. However, he did not want the players to be careless and feel satisfied after showing his revival. Conte hopes that the players will remain focused on facing the next match against Parma.

In that match, Napoli again acted as host by hosting Parma on September 1, 2024 in the morning WIB. Parma, who is a promotional team, made a surprise by beating AC Milan 2-1.

"We regained confidence. This makes me happy. We haven't won for a long time and finally we can do it against strong opponents. Now, we are focused on facing Parma," Conte said again.

In that match, Napoli had difficulty facing the strong defense of Bologna, who this season for the first time competed in the Champions League. However, the forward Giacomo Raspadori threatened the visitors' goal in the first minute of the match.

Napoli finally broke the deadlock ahead of first-half injury time. The captain who is also a Giovanni defender Di Lorenzo actually opened Napoli's victory after welcoming Khhvicha Kvaratskhelia's winger's cross. This was Napoli's first goal while playing at home. They last broke into the opponent's goal in the home game at home to host AS Roma on April 28, 2024. At that time, Napoli drew 2-2.

Di Lorenzo's goal made Napoli even more excited when they entered the second half match. They increased the tempo of the game. However, Napoli had to wait patiently for the second goal to be created in the 75th minute.

This time, Kvaratskhelia is increasing Napoli's advantage. The Georgian national team player who impressed at Euro 2024 showed individual action by passing through Bologna's defender before beating goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Furthermore, forward Giovanni Simeone solidified the team's victory in injury time. Goals in the last minute changed the score to 3-0 and lasted until the end of the match.