“It was a difficult and significant victory,” said Rudi Garcia regarding Napoli’s win in Portugal.
“Managing to secure those three points in Europe is always hard, against any opponent. This evening we should have scored more considering the chances that we had.
“In the first half, we hit the posts and the crossbar. Luck wasn’t on our side, but we still should have doubled our lead and held onto it.
“Instead, by missing those chances to make it 2-0, we opened ourselves up to their final onslaught and could have ended up worse off.
“I liked our response after the equaliser. We scored with an own goal, but we seized the initiative again by attacking and putting those driven crosses into the box that are dangerous for defenders.
“We’re the only Italian team to win in this first round and that shows just how hard it is to play in the Champions League. I’m satisfied with the three points. It puts us top of the group. We’ve got to carry on like this. This was a team win.”
