Napoli secured a 2-1 victory over Torino on Friday, March 6, 2026, in a match largely defined by the performance of Elif Elmas. The Macedonian midfielder finally found the back of the net, capping off a stretch of consistent play for the Serie A side.
Following the match, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte lauded Elmas, playfully dubbing him ‘Saint Elmas’ and calling for a tribute to the player. “This year we really should erect a statue of him,” Conte told reporters. “He’s a player who understands football. If you explain things to him, he gets it. He’s a versatile player who plays both as a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder. He’s really surprising, because if I’m not mistaken, this is his 18th consecutive start.” Conte added that finding Elmas has been a stroke of luck for the team.
Conte as well discussed the returns of Anguissa and De Bruyne to the squad. “Regarding Frank and Kevin, it seems like they never left, but the problem is they *did* abandon! We haven’t had them for many months, just like Lukaku and other players, with Neres added to that list. Yet, the strength of this team is that we’ve never made excuses for absences, and by doing so, we’ve won a Supercoppa and remained in the top spots in the league. And I don’t think that was a given. Now we hope to acquire Scott back soon, who could return to training with us next week. Of course, Romelu and Kevin need to get back to their best condition, although Kevin returned in reasonably excellent physical shape. That’s why I brought him on today. I saw during the week that he was very willing and able to play, because right now we can’t afford to give anyone gifts.”
