Napoli captain Giovanni Lorenzo was delighted with his team’s efforts during their 2-0 win over Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and believes that the Partenopei deserved to qualify for the Round of 16 after a group stage that was ‘not easy’.
Napoli found themselves ahead after nine minutes thanks to the unfortunate intervention of Braga defender Serdar Saatci, before Victor Osimhen doubled the advantage with an improvised finish just shy of 15 minutes later.
Di Lorenzo was on media duty after the full-time whistle, telling Sky Sport Italia that the group had been challenging for the Napoli squad. Overall, the team are happy with their results, though.
“We are happy, our objective was to get through a group that was not easy. We fought our way through and I think we can say that we deserved this,” Di Lorenzo told Sky Sport Italia.
“Keeping a clean sheet is also a positive. Alex Meret had two great saves, we are pleased for him and it’s important for the defence to not concede with a victory.”
The job is far from done for Napoli, who last season reached the competition’s quarter-final for the first time in their history. There is also the matter of league action, where Napoli have struggled in comparison to their title-winning form this time last year.
“There is a lot of work to be done, we need to improve in certain aspects. The performances have always been there and that gives us confidence going forward into the New Year.
“We will continue fighting for these fans, who again supported us from start to finish. We are happy to give them a home win again, as it had really been too long.”