De Bruyne's Sacrifice and the Postponed Conte-Martinez "Boxing" Match

There was plenty of drama at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples on Sunday (October 26, 2025) WIB, as it silently witnessed the battle between the two strongest candidates for the Italian League Scudetto this season, Napoli and Inter Milan. Napoli won the match 3-1 to return to the top of the standings, but Kevin de Bruyne became the victim, prolonging the injury woes of "The Little Donkey."

On the other hand, Napoli manager Antonio Conte has left his reign at Inter with a negative impression. At least that impression is shared by Inter skipper Lautaro Martinez.

Conte's decision to appoint De Bruyne as the main penalty taker for Napoli in the eighth week of the Italian League came at a high cost. The best midfielder in Belgium's history was able to overcome Inter's goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute.

However, it was a disaster for De Bruyne. Before he could smile and celebrate, pain radiated throughout his body, starting from the hamstring in the back of his right leg.

Four minutes after tens of thousands of Neapolitans, the nickname for Napoli residents, cheered, De Bruyne had to be carried off the pitch by two Napoli medical personnel. He was replaced by Mathias Olivera.

After taking a drink, De Bruyne reappeared on the bench of the Little Donkey. He needed the assistance of a cane to walk and had a bandage wrapped around his right thigh.

The pain originates from the hamstring that sidelined De Bruyne for four months during his final season with Manchester City last year. This is at least the fourth hamstring problem De Bruyne has experienced in his professional career. It is his longest injury history.

"Maybe someone cursed us. But, we kept fighting," Conte said after the match to DAZN.

It is difficult for Conte not to harbor negative suspicions. Before De Bruyne, injuries had already cast a shadow over Napoli at the beginning of this season. It started with a thigh muscle tear injury to Romeu Lukaku, followed by injuries suffered by Stanislav Lobotka, Amir Rrahmani, Alex Maret, and Rasmus Hojlund.

"To win the match against the best team in Italy, we faced all the difficulties we encountered. Amid several issues, we delivered an outstanding performance," Conte continued.

If Napoli views De Bruyne's injury as a curse, Inter holds a different perspective. Perhaps for the "Nerazzurri" squad, De Bruyne is facing karma.

Napoli's victory began with that incident. The penalty was decisive, making the difference when the match was in the balance.

Inter is very angry with the referee Mauricio Mariani's decision to award a penalty to the home team. The penalty incident was given after Napoli's captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, fell between Henrik Mkhitaryan and Francesco Acerbi. Mariani took nearly 10 seconds to allow the match to continue after Di Lorenzo fell before blowing the whistle and pointing to the penalty spot.

"The victory of Napoli began with that incident. The penalty was crucial in creating a difference when the match was evenly balanced. It should have been an ideal situation for VAR to intervene in the referee's decision based on input from the assistant referee," said Inter President Beppe Marotta after the match.

Inter were clearly furious with the referee's decision. Their ambition to overthrow city rivals AC Milan, aka the top spot, was dashed this weekend.

Before their duel in Naples, both Napoli and Inter had accumulated 15 points. Now, Napoli holds the top position with a total of 18 points.

"After what happened, (the protest) will not change the decision. It will only waste energy," said Cristian Chivu, the coach of Inter Milan, who refused to be drawn into the controversy.

Nearly half an hour after De Bruyne executed the penalty, the heated atmosphere of the match between the two Italian champions of the last three seasons was rekindled in the 61st minute. Martinez and Conte exchanged words filled with anger.

Martinez exploded with frustration during the match, also due to Conte's overly "noisy" demeanor on the sidelines. Unwilling to accept Martinez's remarks, Conte challenged his former protégé and vowed that Martinez would not score in that match.

Martinez and Conte need to be restrained by their respective teams to prevent them from fighting on the field. Although insults from both of them were flying in the air at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Martinez was unable to help Inter avoid defeat. The incident of the commotion occurred two minutes after Hakan Calhanoglu reduced the deficit for the Black and Blues to 2-1. In addition to De Bruyne, Napoli scored through Scott McTominay in the 54th minute. Andre-Frank Zamboanga Anguisa secured three points for the Little Donkeys in the 66th minute.

The argument between Martinez and Conte brings back the ripples of the past that were created between the two at the end of the 2020-2021 season. Martinez was once disappointed with Conte's decision to substitute him.

To end the argument, Inter staff and other players gave the two players boxing gloves upon entering the training pitch in the final week of the season. It appears the fight didn't actually take place at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti, Inter's training ground, in May 2021. The gloves were simply a gimmick.

The boxing match almost took place in Naples. Fortunately, the players and staff of Inter and Napoli were quick to restrain Martinez and Conte. This also helped to prevent both from facing severe sanctions had a brawl occurred during the match.

"Lautaro is a very good player. Perhaps I do not know him well personally. I wish him the best, everything is fine," said Conte.

In fact, Martinez was the player with the most appearances under Conte during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons at Inter. The Argentine player appeared in 97 matches, scoring 40 goals and providing 19 assists.