Napoli's De Bruyne and Lucca clash on the pitch as players criticise the squad after Porto loss

The exchange on the pitch

Napoli lost 4-1 at Porto on Wednesday, 4 November, in the fourth matchday of the Champions League. Porto had gone 3-1 ahead when Lorenzo Lucca came on, and according to 7sur7 he had been on the pitch only about two minutes when, near the 83rd minute, Kevin De Bruyne reproached him after a misplaced move. Lucca hit back angrily, and the two players came close to a physical confrontation as the argument escalated. Television cameras captured the exchange, and clips spread quickly on social media. Italian media said lip-reading showed De Bruyne swearing at Lucca in English, while viewers quoted online recalled phrases such as 'why are you talking'. These versions come from lip-reading and viewers, not from any official account.

Players speak out after the final whistle

After the final whistle, Matteo Politano said he was tired of always being the one to face the media and wanted other players, not only the Italians, to explain what was going wrong. He also said Napoli had to show more attitude, and that several of the goals conceded came from corners. Scott McTominay, who scored Napoli's only goal, said he was furious about the goals conceded and about the number of injured players. Rasmus Hojlund publicly disagreed with Allegri's assessment that the team had played well, saying Napoli had not played well and had to stop losing matches. Hojlund also said everyone at the club, including the directors, had to take responsibility. Allegri, speaking after the match, took a different line and said he had nothing to reproach his players for.

“For 70 minutes we held up well.”

A squad under strain

Napoli have three points from four Champions League matches, and 7sur7 places them 27th in the league phase. SAPO noted that they had beaten Bodo/Glimt 4-3 before this match, and that this defeat was their third in four games in the competition. Gazzetta dello Sport, cited by Notícias ao Minuto, described the dressing room as a powder keg just hours after the defeat. Il Fatto Quotidiano wrote that a squad without summer signings risked going out already in the league phase. 7sur7 also reported earlier friction, including a heated exchange between De Bruyne and Allegri and a disagreement between De Bruyne and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo during the September opener against Arsenal.

What comes next

Politano urged the squad to unite and focus on Sunday, 8 November. McTominay said the club hoped to recover some injured players so the team could restart its league campaign. Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that the club was choosing to wait before commenting publicly on the situation. The public criticism from players leaves open how the squad will respond on the pitch in the coming matches.