Rafa Benitez trusts Napoli are “in good shape and can fight for second” in Serie A after their Europa League exit.
The Partenopei crashed out of the competition after a 2-2 draw with Porto, following on from the 1-0 first leg defeat.
Rafa Benitez trusts Napoli are “in good shape and can fight for second” in Serie A after their Europa League exit.
The Partenopei crashed out of the competition after a 2-2 draw with Porto, following on from the 1-0 first leg defeat.
“We saw a Napoli performance at a European level, as it was worthy of a Champions League tie,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“It’s a shame we didn’t score the second goal in so many chances and at the end of the day what counts is the result. The team put in a fantastic performance.
“We conceded a goal at the 69th minute and at that point it wasn’t easy. We had the right mentality and conceded when there wasn’t much time left to qualify.”
Benitez was asked whether the elimination would have a knock-on effect in Serie A, where they are in third place, three points behind Roma.
“Going out of the Europa League like this won’t be a problem psychologically when going forward, as the team performed to a very high level and was always on the attack.
“This performance means we are in good shape and can fight for second place in Serie A. Many positive things emerged from this game and we go home with our heads held high.
“We lacked precision, but not the desire to win or our character.”