Maurizio Sarri admits topping the group might not be that beneficial to Napoli, but “it was for our own satisfaction” that they beat Benfica 2-1.

The victory in Lisbon enabled the Partenopei to qualify for the Champions League Round of 16, but it’s the first time they’ve managed to top the group.

Maurizio Sarri admits topping the group might not be that beneficial to Napoli, but “it was for our own satisfaction” that they beat Benfica 2-1.

The victory in Lisbon enabled the Partenopei to qualify for the Champions League Round of 16, but it’s the first time they’ve managed to top the group.

“We had already been burned once before by looking at the other results, so we weren’t going to do that again,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium.

“We wanted to win the group, something Napoli had never achieved before. It was a good first half, a slightly stronger second one that saw us create decidedly more scoring opportunities.

“It’s a shame we conceded that goal at the end, as the performance deserved a clean sheet, so that disappoints me a little.

“They had very dangerous full-backs, so we tried to keep them pegged back and as far away from our penalty area as possible.”

Napoli are top of the group, but that means they risk facing Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Bayern Munich or possibly Real Madrid in the next round.

“It looks as if there’s very little actual advantage from finishing top of the group. It was more for our own satisfaction, as we were convinced that we were the best team in the group and only really got one game badly wrong.

“Despite the results, I was confident our performances were still good and we would finish the group on a high. The 0-0 with Dynamo Kiev was because before kick-off we heard Besiktas were 3-0 down and then suddenly made it 3-3 at the final whistle, so it sapped our enthusiasm and we realised a draw or win would’ve meant the same.

“The team has realised, as we saw again tonight, that you pay for the tiniest error. With two minutes to go we were naïve, passing back 70 metres to a player with no coverage. It teaches you things and I believe after the incredible game we lost at home to Besiktas, the lads really learned that every mistake will be punished.

“Clearly I do have some young players and so the team is not completely mature, especially as we have few in the side who have a lot of European experience.”

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