Italian coach Antonio Conte admitted that his team Napoli was completely exhausted during the match against Benfica, which ended in a 2-0 loss in the sixth round of the Champions League group stage.

Conte said: "It's the result of a buildup of matches, and of course, in the long run, we will pay the price for that."

He added: "The truth is, we weren't sharp from the start. Benfica played on Friday, and we played on Sunday after a long series of tough matches. In those games, we used up a lot of physical and mental energy. I mentioned energy before the match because I knew we would pay the price for it later. Today we struggled, and they were more aggressive at the beginning."

He added: "We tried to be aggressive, but we made a mistake in pressing, which allowed a dangerous attack, and that scared us. We were too spread out in the first half and not aggressive enough in pressing, especially behind their midfielders. Despite all that, it's understandable. We knew the match would be tough, and when games come every three days, you inevitably pay the price."

Conte praised the players, saying: "The players were generous and gave their all until the end, but it was clear they were not at their best, made wrong decisions, and lacked quality. I cannot blame them; they gave everything they had."

He emphasized: "We ran until the end, we tried, but we were like a diesel engine that needs time to warm up. Even after the last victory, I said that we are suffering from a shortage of players and limited rotation options for rest. The pace of matches in Italy has improved recently, but we must not forget that Benfica played on Friday, we played on Sunday, and then we traveled to Lisbon. There are many small factors that add up."

He pointed out that the injury crisis has significantly affected the team, with Stanislav Lobotka, Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Miguel Gutiérrez, and Romelu Lukaku all absent from Napoli. He added, "This is what we have, and I am proud of the players for giving their all, but it was clear that we lacked sharpness. The situation won't improve soon, and we hope that Lobotka and Gutiérrez will return soon. We still don't know when Lukaku will resume training with the team."

Conte concluded his remarks by saying, "It's the cumulative effect of the matches weighing on the players, but things are not over yet. We have another match on Sunday, and we will be returning home at 4 a.m. today."