Kevin De Bruyne and Lorenzo Lucca came close to blows during Napoli’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Porto, in an incident that capped a night in which the Italian club’s dressing room fractures became impossible to hide, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported. With Porto already leading 3-1 in the 82nd minute at the Estádio do Dragão, the Belgian midfielder gestured angrily at Lucca over a move he considered wrong, and the substitute striker responded by getting in his face and repeatedly telling him to go to hell, according to the report. Teammates stepped in to separate the two before order was restored.
Corriere della Sera described the atmosphere after the match as “everyone against everyone,” with accusations and counter-accusations tearing at a squad that has now lost seven of its last 14 matches. The defeat in Portugal sank Napoli further in the Champions League standings and left manager Massimiliano Allegri under mounting pressure from injuries, results and internal discord.
What happened between De Bruyne and Lucca
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that De Bruyne “sbraccia” — gestured with outstretched arms — at Lucca for what the Belgian believed was a wrong move by the striker, who had just come on. The exchange between De Bruyne and Lucca occurred at the 82nd minute with Porto firmly in control at 3-1. Il Mattino quoted the exchange overheard on camera, with Lucca shouting at De Bruyne: “Why are you talking? Why? Vaffa…” — a vulgar Italian insult. Corriere della Sera described Lucca going “a muso duro,” face to face, with the Belgian before teammates divided them. Lucca, a former Udinese player, is a substitute striker in Allegri’s squad.
In the post-match interviews, several senior players openly contradicted their coach and each other, a rare public airing of grievances in front of the cameras.
Club leadership absent as the crisis grows
Corriere della Sera reported that neither Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, his son and vice president Edo De Laurentiis, nor club CEO Chiavelli were present in Porto for the match, and that the club’s silence in recent weeks over a run of results well below expectations was itself worrying the players.
Napoli’s next test against Lazio
Napoli now face another difficult assignment on Sunday in Serie A against Lazio, with the team trailing in the standings and divided internally carrying little confidence into a match that could definitively compromise the club’s project for the season. The Champions League defeat at Porto leaves Napoli needing a response both on the pitch and in the locker room.
