ANTONIO CONTE waded into a scrap between Napoli and Lazio players which saw referee Davide Massa dish out two red cards.
Massa had already sent one player for an early bath, with Lazio‘s Tijjani Noslin receiving his second yellow in the 81st minute.
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Conte got in the middle of Marusic’s scrap with MazzocchiCredit: AP
Both players were sent off for their role in the dramaCredit: EPA
Players from both sides piled in to back their team-mateCredit: Reuters
The second and third dismissals followed not long afterwards when a disagreement between Adam Marusic and Pasquale Mazzocchi turned physical late in Sunday’s Serie A game.
Lazio hardman Marusic took issue with Napoli wing-back Mazzocchi rising up from the turf to confront him.
It quickly escalated to a shoving match as Marusic grabbed his rival by the collar and Mazzocchi did the same back.
Napoli boss Conte – formerly of Chelsea and Tottenham – was quickly on the scene to try to separate the pair.
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It took a few more seconds for Marusic to relinquish his grip, and Conte was still in the thick of the ruckus when players from both sides piled in.
Massa swiftly brandished straight reds for Marusic and Mazzocchi, capping off a fiery contest.
Conte’s Napoli ended up comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to first-half strikes from Leonardo Spinazzola and Amir Rrahmani.
Hosts Lazio – managed by another ex-Chelsea head coach in Maurizio Sarri – only had 34 per cent of the ball and didn’t manage a single shot on target.
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Conte led Napoli to their fourth Serie A title last season and they could yet go back-to-back, sitting one point behind leaders AC Milan after 17 games.
The Italian manager, 56, had an up-and-down time of it in England.
He won a Premier League title and an FA Cup in only two years at Stamford Bridge but found it tougher going at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Conte left Spurs in 2023 after an extraordinary post-match rant in which he called his players “selfish” and said they only “play for themselves”.
Conte’s Napoli are challenging for the title again this seasonCredit: Getty
