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Napoli's high-flying Hamšík staying grounded

SSC Napoli midfielder Marek Hamšík revelled in his first UEFA Champions League goal in the 2-0 win against Villarreal CF but insisted his side are "keeping our feet on the ground".

Marek Hamšík (right) opened the scoring for Napoli against Villarreal
Marek Hamšík (right) opened the scoring for Napoli against Villarreal ©Getty Images

Though delighted at scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal, Marek Hamšík insists SSC Napoli will not allow themselves to get carried away with their "excellent" 2-0 triumph against Villarreal CF, saying "we must keep our feet on the ground". Visiting goalkeeper Diego López, meanwhile, rued "schoolboy errors" which he believes can only be redeemed with a win at Manchester City FC in their next outing on 18 October: "Otherwise we can kiss goodbye to the competition."

Marek Hamšík, Napoli midfielder
It was an excellent result for us. To get a win like this against a tough side like Villarreal and move on to four points in the group is very satisfying. It was a fine win, but we know that we still have another four hard matches to go and they won't be easy.

It was a fantastic feeling to score. I saw that the flag had stayed down and I had to decide whether to take another touch or shoot, and luckily I made the right decision. The coach told us at half-time to remember that the match wasn't won yet and that if Villarreal scored it would bring them right back into the match. He told us to stay focused in defence and attack and thankfully they didn't score and we held on for the win. We can't afford to get carried away with the win. There's still a long way to go so we must keep our feet on the ground.

Gökhan Inler, Napoli midfielder
It was my first experience of a Champions League win and it was a first for the team as well. We deserved it because we gave our all. The first half went perfectly to plan because we went 2-0 up, but then it was hard because we were trying to protect the result. They pressed us a lot, but we kept them out and that's what counts in the end – to get the three points.

[Ezequiel] Lavezzi is an animal; he always gives everything. He always wants to play, even when he isn't fit, and this is what great players do: they give their all to help the side and that's what is taking us forward. I don't know how far we can go. We've only played two matches and we need to forget about them and just look forward. But a big thank you to the supporters, who were amazing tonight.

Nilmar, Villarreal forward
We played a good match. In the first half, we played well and at the start of the second half we played even better, but unfortunately after we conceded those two early goals it was difficult to come back. Now it will be hard to recover after having dropped six points, but there's still a lot of matches left to go and we'll give our best to stage a comeback. The crowd were spectacular tonight; every player wants to play in important matches like these in the Champions League. It was a fantastic atmosphere.

Diego López, Villarreal goalkeeper
They took advantage of schoolboy mistakes on our part. In the second half, we dominated and had lots of chances but couldn't put them away. Napoli played well, but they capitalised on our generosity; we gifted them two silly goals. Now we must work hard because the group has become really tough. We will have to analyse this match and correct our mistakes and then we must beat Manchester City, because otherwise we can kiss goodbye to the competition.

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