A red card kills the game, Napoli 0-2 "butterfly effect" behind Manchester City

In the first round of the Champions League, Manchester City beat Napoli 2-0. The score seemed dull, but it originated from a "butterfly effect" in the 21st minute - Di Lorenzo Naohong left the court, completely rewriting the game script. 20 minutes before the opening, Napoli's high pressing made Manchester City uncomfortable. The oppressive line set by Conte was close to Rodri and Foden. Haaland was difficult to catch the ball when he retreated twice. Napoli even created a dangerous header from a corner kick, and Donnarumma saved the master. Conte recalled after the game: "I thought Manchester City would be in trouble at that time."

However, in the 21st minute, a counterattack changed everything. Haaland directly penetrated and formed a single shot. Di Lorenzo put a shovel behind him. VAR intervened and changed the sentence to be red. With one less player fighting, Conte was forced to adjust: in the 26th minute, De Bruyne was replaced and the team recovered the defense. Naples instantly changed from a presser to a passive hitter, with only one shot in the game, setting a record for the lowest single team in the Champions League in the past year.

The advantage of numerical numbers allowed Manchester City to crack the iron barrel calmly. In the 56th minute, Foden turned around and passed the ball, and Haaland headed the ball and shot to break the deadlock; in the 66th minute, Duoku shook continuously in the penalty area and three players shot low again. Guardiola admitted after the game: "It is still difficult to face Italian teams with 11-10, but the red card makes the game different."

A red card killed Napoli's hope of grabbing points, and left De Bruyne's "return home" with only 26 minutes left. Conte's regret, Guardiola's gratitude, and Haaland's record night all had a chain reaction due to this tackle. Football is sometimes like this, a mistake in judgment is enough to make 90 minutes of effort go to waste.