

What was supposed to be a hero's homecoming turned into a night of disappointment and frustration. The fans greeted their prodigal son with a deafening roar and a trembling typhus that had dedicated a decade of magic. De Bruyne, eager to shine against his former team, found himself at the mercy of a cruel fate.
With just 21 minutes to play, the mood had shifted from celebration to disbelief. Napoli's Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card after a VAR review, leaving his team a man down. Antonio Conte made a brutal move that stunned the Etihad by replacing just De Bruyne .
Conte spoke to the media afterwards with a heavy heart. "I was very sad to make that substitution," he admitted, his voice laced with regret. But he stood by his choice, adding that De Bruyne, as always a professional, understood the tactical necessity.