Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri admits he would have needed a time-out in the second half to salvage anything from the Milan game.
The timid Azzurri crumbled after the break at San Siro as the home side collected a 3-0 win which allowed them to move six points clear of the Neapolitans in Serie A.
Napoli boss Walter Mazzarri admits he would have needed a time-out in the second half to salvage anything from the Milan game.
The timid Azzurri crumbled after the break at San Siro as the home side collected a 3-0 win which allowed them to move six points clear of the Neapolitans in Serie A.
"We wanted to try a few things in the second half, but we couldn't manage it," stated the tactician. "Milan are a phenomenal side and they stopped us from playing.
"If possible, I would have liked to stop the game completely and got the side to just think about a few things for three minutes.
"We weren't brilliant and the pitch wasn't at its best. Our desire to equalise then allowed them too much space and we were punished."
The game took a decisive turn just after the break when Salvatore Aronica was judged to have handled in the penalty area.
"Until the penalty incident the game was balanced, then everything changed," continued the former Livorno boss.
"Those penalties can be given. Sometimes they are and sometimes they are not. Tonight the referee decided to award it.
"But I don't want to talk about referees, especially as there were other dubious decisions made, like some offside calls, so I want to avoid talking about them."
Napoli's Scudetto hopes undoubtedly took a blow this evening, but Mazzarri is already looking forward to the future.
"We've lost a Final, but we must now look to the others," he continued. "Brescia arrive on Sunday, a tough side."
His final thoughts went to the suspended Ezequiel Lavezzi. "He is an important weapon that we missed, who knows what would have happened tonight with him…"