Conte's Napoli Overcomes Lecce Challenge, Moves Six Points Clear

Napoli secured a crucial 1-0 win at Lecce, moving six points clear of Inter Milan in the Serie A title chase. Manager Antonio Conte praised his players, saying, 'A really important victory. It's not the most important, but it's important.'

Napoli moved closer to their Serie A title dream with a win at Lecce, but manager Antonio Conte remains cautious. Conte, who has won league titles with Juventus, Inter Milan, and Chelsea, wants to write history as a winner, not read about missing out.

“Whoever wins, writes the history, the others, at most, they get to read about it. Nobody will remember us if we finish second,” Conte told reporters, emphasizing the importance of claiming the title. He declined to speculate on whether this season would be his masterpiece, saying, “I will say that if and when it eventually happens.”

Napoli secured a 1-0 win at Lecce, strengthening their grip on top spot in Serie A as they moved six points clear of Inter Milan. The victory was significant for manager Antonio Conte, as Lecce is his home city and former playing club.

Conte was wary of facing Lecce, who had shown resilience by drawing at Atalanta in their previous match, which was rescheduled following the death of Lecce physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita. Despite battling relegation, Lecce posed a challenge for Napoli, but ultimately fell short.

Three games to go. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/5kaRj5Nsuv

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 3, 2025

Antonio Conte hailed Napoli's win at Lecce as “a really important victory. It's not the most important, but it's important.” He expressed his concerns about the match, saying, “I was very afraid of this match because of many situations, also because Lecce came from a draw snatched by Atalanta.”

Conte also paid tribute to a person affected by misfortune, mentioning a personal connection to the individual and their late father. Despite ongoing injury issues, including the latest setback to defender Alessandro Buongiorno, Conte praised his players for securing the crucial three points.

“We arrived managing an emergency because everything seems normal, but today (Mathias) Olivera played as a central defender and it's the first time he does that with me,” Conte said.

“In the end, nobody talks about it, but (David) Neres is out, Buongiorno and Juan Jesus too. (Stanislav) Lobotka got hurt today, I hope he can recover because we are continuing to lose pieces, but we are not giving up.

“And this is the main quality of this team. We are on top of things and we want to continue until the end.”