Di Lorenzo and Lobotka: ‘Napoli deserved more’ against Inter

epa11933178 Napoli’s midfielder Philip Billing celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match SSC Napoli vs Inter FC at Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, 01 March 2025. EPA-EFE/CESARE ABBATE

Stanislav Lobotka and Giovanni Di Lorenzo explain what Antonio Conte told them at half-time in the draw with Inter and why they feel the Napoli performance ‘deserved more.’

This was a dramatic head-to-head at the top of the table and it was heading towards a 1-0 win for Inter thanks to the Federico Dimarco free kick into the top corner.

However, after plenty of chances and pressure, the Partenopei snatched the late equaliser with Philip Billing turning in the rebound from an initially parried effort on Lobotka’s assist.

“It’s an amazing feeling to have these fans behind our back, we are just unhappy because we didn’t win the game, but that’s football,” Lobotka told DAZN.

“The way we showed our character today, that is the way forward.”

Billing came off the bench for only his second game since the January transfer from Bournemouth and scored, so how has he settled in?

“Philip is a really nice guy, he is working at 100 per cent in every training session, when he gets the possibilità to play too, he gives his all. When someone comes off the bench, he is still important for the team,” concluded Lobotka.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Napoli 1-1 Inter

Napoli keep themselves in the Scudetto race

The Partenopei are now without a victory in five Serie A rounds and have not kept a clean sheet in seven.

“February has been tricky in terms of results, but the squad has always been very focused on our path, we gave a strong signal today and playing in this atmosphere is exceptional,” added captain Di Lorenzo.

“We are happy with this great performance, it’s a pity about the result, as I feel that we deserved more than a point today, but that is football.”

What did Conte tell the squad at half-time to get them fired up for that second half push?

“I think we had a good initial approach to the game, so the coach was happy. We adjusted a few small things, but he told us to continue like that and we put our quality onto the pitch. We’re happy with the performance, just a few regrets over the result.”

Napoli and Inter had also drawn 1-1 at San Siro, so have an identical head-to-head primato, and are still separated by only one point at the top of the table.

“We are up there after so many games, it is not a fluke, we deserve to be there with performances and hard work. Every point was earned, there are 11 games to go, that is a lot, but we are happy because the fruits of our labour are there,” concluded Di Lorenzo.