Antonio Conte has hailed Napoli's "good performance" in their hard-fought 0-0 draw against Como, insisting the result marks "another step forward" in their pursuit of Champions League football.

In a tense encounter that mirrored their November stalemate at the Stadio Maradona, both sides battled fiercely for control. Como, who also defeated Napoli on penalties in the Coppa Italia quarter-final after another goalless draw, pushed hard but couldn't find a breakthrough. The hosts' best chance came when Amir Rrahmani produced a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Tasos Douvikas, while Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made a sharp save against Martin Baturina. Napoli nearly snatched victory late on as Matteo Politano rattled the woodwork and Scott McTominay fired wide on the counter-attack.

"It was certainly a good performance—without that, you don't emerge unscathed from a game where both teams had so much at stake," Conte told DAZN Italia. "Como probably had even more riding on it with Champions League qualification on the line."

The Napoli boss acknowledged his side's slow start but praised their second-half improvement. "We were a little too timid in the first half and didn't apply enough pressure. Their goalkeeper makes it very difficult—one wrong movement and he's away, forcing you to sprint back. But after the restart, we raised our quality, created chances, and showed real character."

With three games remaining, Conte remains focused on the bigger picture. "We took another step forward, not just for a Champions League place, but to finish as high up the table as possible. The lads did well against a tough opponent, and we must congratulate them for their effort."

For Napoli fans, every point counts in the race for Europe—and this gritty draw shows a team growing in resilience when it matters most.