Ancelotti upbeat after Napoli secure ´small advantage´ in Group C

Carlo Ancelotti was delighted to secure the initiative in Group C after a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain took Napoli closer to Champions League progression.

The Serie A side came from a goal down at half-time to earn a second successive point against Thomas Tuchel’s men, thanks to Lorenzo Insigne’s 62nd-minute penalty.

The result lifted Napoli above Liverpool – shock 2-0 losers against Red Star Belgrade – on head-to-head results, having prevailed 1-0 when the teams met at Stadio San Paolo in October.

Ancelotti’s side also have the upper hand on PSG courtesy of away goals and, with a visit from Red Star to come next, appear well placed to advance as group winners.

“I’m very happy, as we came out with a small advantage against one of the best teams in Europe,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“To be honest, we didn’t expect Liverpool to lose in Belgrade, so now Red Star are getting involved and the group cannot be tighter.

“Our game plan was initially to stop the ball from reaching Neymar and [Angel] Di Maria, and it worked well overall.

“They had a lot of possession with their central defenders, and that’s fine. It could have been a lot worse for us.”

4 – @sscnapoli are unbeaten in their last four #ChampionsLeague games for the first time in their history in the competition. Force. #NapoliPSG

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) November 6, 2018

PSG’s next Champions League assignment is a home meeting with Liverpool that will go a long way to determining the fate of both clubs.

Though unable to hold onto Juan Bernat’s first-half opener, Tuchel saw evidence of growth from the runaway Ligue 1 leaders.

“I think my team had a positive game, at least for parts of it,” the German said. “We managed to show that we’re ready for these kinds of matches.

“It was normal for us to suffer a bit in the second half, considering we were winning and they took huge risks attacking us and pushing us back.

“We should have been braver in attacking in the second half.”