Strong Brest overpower unfortunate De Bruyne, Lukaku, leaves Conte frustrated

Strong Brest overpower unfortunate De Bruyne, Lukaku, leaves Conte frustrated

Hassan Abdulsalam 09:56 - 04.08.2025

Napoli fall to Brest in pre-season clash

Napoli’s pre-season preparations took another twist as they suffered a 2–1 defeat to French side Stade Brestois, despite a second consecutive goal from summer signing Lorenzo Lucca and a debut appearance for Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in goal.

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The friendly match, held at a neutral venue, saw Antonio Conte’s new-look squad continue to gel ahead of the 2025/26 Serie A campaign, with several signings earning starting spots, including Kevin De Bruyne, Noa Lang, Sam Beukema, and Lucca.

Milinkovic-Savic, who joined from Torino, got the nod in goal, while first-team regulars Scott McTominay, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Alex Meret missed out due to fitness concerns.

Match Recap

Napoli started brightly, with Brazilian winger David Neres creating multiple chances, but it was Brest who took the lead after Ludovic Ajorque capitalised on a defensive lapse by Amir Rrahmani.

Ajorque then doubled the lead with a clinical header from a Romain Del Castillo cross.

In response, Napoli increased the pressure, and Kevin De Bruyne nearly pulled one back with an audacious back-heel that rattled the upright.

The breakthrough eventually came courtesy of Lorenzo Lucca, who finished from close range after Matteo Politano’s clever assist, which was initiated by a darting run from captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Napoli pressed for an equaliser in the final stages, with Zambo Anguissa’s header glancing off the crossbar and De Bruyne forcing a late save with a powerful long-range effort. However, it was not to be as Brest held on for the win.

Napoli will continue their club friendlies today against Casertana at 9pm.