Antonio Conte singles out ‘truly important’ Chelsea star after Champions League exit

Antonio Conte hailed Joao Pedro as a ‘truly important player’ for Chelsea after Napoli’s 3-2 defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Enzo Fernandez’s penalty put Chelsea in front but Napoli were 2-1 ahead by half time with goals from Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund.

Cole Palmer replaced Pedro Neto at half time and he set up both of Joao Pedro’s goals to help secure Chelsea’s victory at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

The result means Napoli have failed finish in the Champions League play-off places, while Chelsea are through to the last-16 where they will play one of Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Monaco, or Qarabag

When asked if Joao Pedro was the turning point in Chelsea’s win over Napoli, Conte told Sky Sport: ‘Absolutely.

‘Joao Pedro made the difference, he’s a truly important player for them.

‘Qualitatively, they were better in the final third of the pitch. They didn’t have a ton of chances but that’s the point, when top clubs shoot, they hurt. We sent in a lot of crosses and created chances, but we need to improve our finishing.’

Conte also rued Napoli’s 1-1 draw away to FC Copenhagen earlier this month which meant Napoli needed to beat Chelsea in order to reach the Champions League play-offs.

‘I made it clear to the lads – the real disappointment is Copenhagen,’ Conte said.

‘That match practically doomed us, forcing us to risk our lives against a top club that won the World Cup and boasts extraordinary champions even in the stands.

‘I’m disappointed because I would have liked to continue competing against the best.’

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