Napoli lose 2-0 to Manchester City after Di Lorenzo red card

Napoli’s Champions League return ended in a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City on Thursday as an early red card forced Antonio Conte to reshuffle his side and curtail Kevin De Bruyne’s emotional return to the Etihad Stadium. Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off in the 21st minute for a foul on Erling Haaland that match officials judged denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, and Conte substituted De Bruyne shortly thereafter to bring on a defender. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the second half from a Phil Foden assist and Jeremy Doku added a late second to seal the victory for City.

Conte, managing in the Champions League for the first time since March 2023, said the sending off altered Napoli’s game plan and left him with no choice but to remove De Bruyne to shore up the backline. Conte described the decision as unavoidable and expressed sympathy for the Belgian, who had been playing his first match at his former club since joining Napoli in the summer. Napoli held firm for long stretches with 10 men, Conte added, but ultimately fatigue and being a man down against one of Europe’s strongest sides proved decisive.

City coach Pep Guardiola praised Conte and his teams in pre-match...