Napoli star Koulibaly names one regret after Liverpool defeat

Oli Fisher
during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Liverpool and SSC Napoli at Anfield on December 11, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly has admitted that his side feared Liverpool ahead of their Champions League defeat on Tuesday night.

Liverpool should have coasted to victory in their make-or-break Champions League decider but in the end they progressed to the knockout stage with the minimum requirement of a 1-0 win against Napoli.

As has often been the case a moment of Mohamed Salah first-half magic broke the deadlock with a clever piece of penalty-area trickery.

Had Sadio Mane been even close to his sharpest, Jurgen Klopp’s side would have been out of sight without having to worry about the repercussions of conceding – which would have required a clear two-goal victory.

However they hung on for the win, and Koulibaly – who has been linked with Manchester United recently – was left with regrets.

“It was an important game, we knew they had to win,” he told Sky Italia .

“We could avoid that goal and we should have done more to score one. It went differently, now we will do our best in the Europa League.

“Maybe, unconsciously, we feared Liverpool because we know they are very strong and that it’s not easy to play against them.

“We have a strong team that can beat everyone, and we came close to scoring. A draw was enough, but we lost. It’s just a negative night, we’ll have other positive nights for sure.”

during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between Liverpool and SSC Napoli at Anfield on December 11, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Substitute Arkadiusz Milik was denied late on by Alisson, and he apologised for not taking the opportunity.

“I have to forget about that final chance and you can’t think about these things for long because our next game against Cagliari comes quickly,” he also told Sky Italia .

“We have a lot of respect for Liverpool and they played a great game at home.

“It is just a shame about that last chance that fell to my feet. I’m so sorry about it but the next game is coming soon and we must now focus on that.”

 

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