Napoli coach Antonio Conte was delighted with his players after last night's Champions League win against Sporting CP.
On-loan from Manchester United, Rasmus Hojlund struck both goals in the 2-1 triumph, with Kevin de Bruyne outstanding on the night.
Conte said afterwards: "De Bruyne? There was nothing to apologise for. What I liked was the team performance. A team that, despite the difficulties of the emergency, did well. Everything else takes a back seat here, but last year's defense, including the goalkeeper, was completely lacking today. This must give the team even more strength.
"Because by working with the right competitive spirit and determination, we have the opportunity to compete. As we did tonight against an excellent team.
"I had enormous respect for Sporting because they have all the credentials to cause serious problems for anyone. They're coming off a string of championship wins in Portugal, so there was great respect for them.
"We prepared for the match in a day plus this morning, so congratulations to the lads because we had a great victory, which should give us strength, morale, and should make us understand that despite the difficulties, we must always find a solution. There's no need to indulge in pointless whining. I think the fans are happy with the spirit the team showed on the pitch tonight.
"We've always been good, and after taking the lead we defended with concentration. It's the first time we've played in this new format, and we want to try and have fun. That has to be the most important thing."
On Hojlund, Conte added: "Hojlund is 22 years old and has significant potential. If he wants it, we always make sure he gets it. But he's a serious guy. He has significant room to grow. He's starting to understand the right positioning, how to defend the ball, how to attack in depth.
Hojlund is a great asset. You can see he's a player. It's up to me and my staff to improve him and make him a star. He's now a young player with great prospects, but he needs to become a star striker."