Napoli melted away after getting an early lead against PSV Eindhoven, especially late in the game, giving up six goals. A brace by Scott McTominay, who hasn’t been superb so far this campaign, wasn’t enough to offset the disappointment.

According to Opta (via Goal), the Partenopei suffered their largest ever defeat in the Champions League and one of the worst on the continental stage. Before this one, the infamous record belonged to a five-nil collapse against Hibernian in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967/1978.

Napoli hadn’t given up six times in a tilt in about 30 years. The last time it happened was in 1997/1998. They were romped twice that badly that season, by Roma and Sampdoria in October and December, which resulted in relegation to Serie B.

Antonio Conte has a sketchy record in the Champions League, especially considering his domestic one, but he had never fallen this hard, Rivista Undici reports. It’s the first time one of his sides has surrendered so many goals. Curiously, the only times his clubs conceded five goals occurred in two meetings with Juventus: in 2009/2010, while he was coaching Atalanta, and in 2006/2027, when he was at the helm of Arezzo.

Our Take on Napoli

They had been trending in the wrong direction, as they have dropped two of their last three matches, but such a loud loss came from nowhere, and it’s very worrying considering the fighting spirit of Conte’s squads. They surely underestimated the opponents and looked too much ahead at the Inter clash. At this point, the upcoming bout becomes crucial for assessing their real caliber and determining the direction of their season, at least for the next couple of months.