Reja relishes winning return

SSC Napoli coach Edoardo Reja said he "could not ask for anymore from his players" as his team celebrated their return to the UEFA Cup after a 14-year absence by beating SL Benfica 3-2 in front of over 55,000 spectators at the San Paolo Stadium.

See-saw encounter
A 16th-minute goal by the visitors' David Suazo, who played under Reja at Cagliari Calcio, stunned the boisterous Napoli fans, but the home side reacted immediately by first equalising and then taking the lead within four minutes, Luigi Vitale and Germán Denis getting the goals. The home side made it three in the second half through Christian Maggio before Luisão scored a potentially crucial second away goal for Benfica ahead of the return in Lisbon on 2 October.

'Sins of youth'
"It's a pity about the couple of mistakes we made in defence on set-pieces, but we created so many chances to score, I could not ask for anymore from my players," Reja said. "We committed some sins of youth but I'm very satisfied overall. In Lisbon, Benfica will be more aggressive and determined; they will probably change their formation and especially their mental approach to the game. They will try to beat us but I'm sure my team can put any opponents in trouble."

Slight favourites
Napoli director of football Pierpaolo Marino, one of the key men behind the club's return to prominence, was also in buoyant mood after the game. "Two years ago, we were playing in Serie B," he said. "Today, we are here commenting on a victory against one of the best teams in Europe. Benfica are great at keeping possession but in Lisbon they will have to take risks and we will have chances to hit them on the counterattack. I think we can do it. I believe we have a 55 per cent chance of progression right now. Regardless of the result, however, this team is very young and talented. Napoli have a bright future ahead."