Napoli edges Qarabag 2-0 as Conte laments injuries, says 'some things I cannot control'

On a chilly Tuesday night in Naples, Napoli finally breathed again — beating Qarabag FK 2-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to salvage some dignity in their 2025-26 UEFA Champions League campaign. But if you watched head coach Antonio Conte pacing the technical area, fists clenched, eyes locked on every misplaced pass, you knew this wasn’t a celebration. It was survival. The win, sealed by a goal from Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay and an own goal from Qarabag’s Serbian defender Maksim Maksimović Janković, was Napoli’s first clean sheet in European competition since March — a small mercy in a season that’s unravelled faster than a frayed jersey hem.

Positive energy, but the squad is falling apart

"Napoli felt positive energy, but some things I cannot control," Conte told reporters after the final whistle, his voice low but sharp. The quote, picked up by OneFootball, became the headline of the night. What he meant, he later clarified in an interview with Goal.com, was that injuries were quietly dismantling his plans. Four key players were missing against Qarabag — including veteran Belgian midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, sidelined since October 1 with a hamstring tear and not expected back until mid-December. Defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo and forward Victor Osimhen were also on the treatment table, while young winger Andrea Cambiaso was still recovering from a knee knock. "We’re playing catch up," Conte said. "You can’t coach fitness you don’t have. You can’t replace experience you’ve lost to the physio room."

From humiliation to a sliver of hope

This win came after two of Napoli’s most painful European nights in years. On September 17, they lost 2-0 to Manchester City at Etihad. Then, on October 1, they collapsed 6-2 at home to PSV Eindhoven — a result that left fans stunned and the club’s European ambitions in tatters. That match was the one where Lobotka went down, and Conte’s face told the whole story: disbelief, then fury, then quiet resignation. Even the 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in September felt hollow — a narrow escape against a team Napoli should have crushed.

Against Qarabag, Napoli’s midfield — thin and weary — had to do more than just survive. McTominay, signed last summer from Manchester United, was the only player who looked like he belonged on this stage. His 34th-minute goal, a thunderous strike from outside the box, was his first in European competition. The second came in the 72nd minute, when Qarabag’s Maksim Maksimović Janković, trying to clear a cross, accidentally redirected it past his own keeper. It was the kind of goal that feels like fate — a gift from chaos. Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund, brought in as a late-season gamble, missed a penalty in the 58th minute, a moment that had Napoli fans holding their breath. But the defense held. For the first time since March, they kept a clean sheet in Europe.

Qarabag’s stubborn resilience

Don’t mistake Qarabag for easy pickings. The Azerbaijani champions, based in Baku due to the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, have played in five Champions League group stages since 2017-18 — and never advanced. But they’ve never been easy to beat. Their 2-2 draw with Chelsea on November 5 was proof. They pressed high, defended in numbers, and forced Napoli into long balls and hopeful crosses. Their coach, Gurban Gurbanov, has built a team that punches above its weight — and on this night, they almost stole a point. Napoli had 68% possession. They had 19 shots. They still needed a mistake to win.

What’s next? The climb gets steeper

Napoli now sits fifth in Group F with seven points from five matches. They need to win two of their final three games — and hope other results go their way — to have any shot at advancing. Their next test? A trip to Lisbon on December 10, 2025, to face Sporting Lisbon at the Estádio José Alvalade. That’s not just a match. It’s a must-win. And they’ll be without Lobotka, Di Lorenzo, and likely Osimhen. Conte’s warning — "put your helmets back on" — wasn’t motivational fluff. It was a survival order.

A club haunted by its European past

Napoli’s history in the Champions League is a story of near-misses and heartbreak. They’ve never made it past the quarterfinals. Their best run came in 2011-12 — but that was the Europa League. The Champions League? It’s been a fortress they’ve never breached. Conte, who led Italy to the Euro 2024 final and then spent two turbulent years at Tottenham, knows this pressure better than most. He didn’t take the Napoli job to rebuild. He took it to win — and now, he’s fighting a war on two fronts: the pitch and the physio room.