Giovanni Di Lorenzo explains the message behind his goal celebration as Napoli beat Lecce and prepare for Milan in the Champions League. ‘We need enthusiasm.’
The Partenopei had to get over last week’s 4-0 Serie A defeat to Milan and scraped a 2-1 victory at the Stadio Via del Mare thanks to Di Lorenzo’s header and a comical Antonino Gallo own goal.
After his effort, Di Lorenzo called all the players on the bench to join in the celebrations on the pitch.
“If there is one real strength of this Napoli side, it is the group. Everyone participates, whether they start the match, come on as a substitute or remain on the bench,” Di Lorenzo told DAZN.
“This was an important goal and I dedicate it to my teammates. We knew this was a tough match against a well-organised Lecce side, as everyone has struggled here. The three points keep us marching towards our dream.”
Despite last week’s defeat, Napoli still had a 16-point lead at the top of the Serie A table and will at least maintain that.
“What happened against Milan was just an off night, but it mustn’t distract us from our objective. It doesn’t cancel out all we’ve done.”
The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final will be against Milan at San Siro on Wednesday.
“We’ll think about that from tomorrow. We must approach it with a calm head and continue doing what took us to the top of the table,” added the captain.
“We need to play with enthusiasm and free of pressure.”