Noa Lang aims subtle dig at Conte and Napoli after Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus
Noa Lang was one of the stars of the show as Galatasaray beat Juventus 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off round clash on Tuesday evening, and has since aimed a subtle dig at his former club Napoli and head coach Antonio Conte: ‘I’m a player who needs to feel appreciated’.
Juventus’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League round of 16 were dealt a big blow after a surprise 5-2 defeat away against Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday night. Among the Galatasaray goalscorers was former Napoli man Lang, who netted twice in the second half, adding to goals from Gabriel Sara, Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey.
Lang joined Galatasaray from Napoli on loan for a fee of €2m with an option to buy believed to be in the region of €30m during the January transfer window. He had spent just six months at the Stadio Maradona following his €25m transfer from PSV Eindhoven in the summer.
Tuesday night’s victory for Galatasaray against Juventus was Lang’s first Champions League outing for his new club.
Of the eight Champions League matches that Napoli took part in this season, Lang was named as a starter just twice and failed to register any goal involvements. He now has two from his first appearance in the competition with Galatasaray.
What did Lang say about Conte and Napoli after Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus?
Speaking to the press after full-time, Lang explained why Galatasaray have managed to immediately get the best out of him, while Napoli struggled and were willing to cut their losses after just six months.
“We showed great character in the second half today,” Lang told Sky after full-time on Tuesday night (via Calcionapoli1926).
“I scored two goals in the second half, we showed that we have great spirit, that we are strong mentally, but the job isn’t done yet,” he warned.
Lang was asked for his thoughts on his brief spell with Napoli, but replied: “I’d prefer to talk about Galatasaray now. I feel the love of the supporters, the club and most importantly, the coach. I’m a player who needs to feel appreciated. Then, see what happens. Today wasn’t even my best game and I scored twice, but normally I would want to dribble more.
“Juventus are a strong team, we still have to finish the job. We will play away against a very difficult team. We’re in a good situation but still only halfway there.”