Napoli coach Antonio Conte has expressed his frustration following the disappointing 2-2 draw against Genoa at the Diego Maradona Stadium on Sunday.
The draw was a major blow to Napoli’s title aspirations after they dropped two vital points to stay one point clear of second-placed Inter Milan with two matches to go.
Johan Vasquez scored a late header to deny Napoli the maximum points at home which left Conte blaming their inability to finish off the game.
He said: “They had two shots on target and scored two goals. These things happen,” said a visibly irritated Conte to DAZN.
“It’s annoying because we should have won given what we created and how we played. It’s disappointing to not win like this at the start of the season, forget about it with three matches remaining.
“But I can’t complain about the performance, we had 11 shots on target, all of the ball… We have to go and win the other two matches, that’s all there is to do it.”
It was the first time Napoli have drawn at home since March 2024 when they were held at home by Udinese, while it is the first time they have conceded at least two goals at home since November – a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta.
The former Chelsea manager has urged the players to keep calm ahead of their last two matches of the season.
Conte said: “The last rounds represent a target that at the start was absolutely unthinkable. To achieve that would be incredible. These fans deserve it, as the people of Naples always followed us with passion and enthusiasm.
“We are still going beyond our capabilities, so can only thank these players for everything. The bitterness today is because it was not a deserved draw, but I always tell them that details make the difference, and we could’ve done something better in those details today.
“We did not deserve to drop these two points, but at the same time, we must remember we’ve lost the bonus that we had.
“We needed seven points from three rounds to win the title, now we need six points from two if we want to win the Scudetto, which would still be something incredible.”
Napoli recorded 22 shots with 11 on target in the encounter but still failed to grab the maximum points.
Conte concluded: “I could not have asked for more from my players, as they had 22 shots on goal, 11 of them on target, dominated possession, and in the end it was a draw. We must improve in these situations.
“It’s disappointing because we deserved to win for all that we created, so there remains bitterness and regret.”
Napoli will be back in Serie A action when they take on Parma on Sunday while Inter Milan will battle it out with Champions League chasing Lazio.
Conte’s men will be crowned champions if they can win their remaining two games against Parma and Cagliari.
