Napoli manager Rafael Benitez has said that his team had enough chances to win their Serie A match against Genoa on Monday evening.
The Partenopei were held to a 1-1 draw after a late goal from Emanuele Calaio cancelled out Gonzalo Higuain's first-half strike.
The result leaves Napoli six points behind second-placed Roma in the table, and Benitez admits that his team should have had the game won by half time.
"The first half was the key for me, as we wanted to score two or three goals and then control it after the break. We didn't achieve that, we knew they were dangerous and that at 1-0 we were always in the balance," he told Sky Sport Italia. "Clearly if we win our games, then it's easier to think we can finish second. We must understand that this type of match has to be finished off by half-time and that is all.
"The final pass is the most difficult and I do agree that is a problem, as we worked so hard to reach the edge of the box and then it goes wrong. We controlled the game well in the first half, but this final decision makes the difference when it comes to turning pressure into goals.
"Genoa had a good counter-attack after the restart, but didn't seem able to score after that. Of course we were only 1-0 up and a second goal would've changed everything, so we were always in the balance. We must learn to be stronger in defence in this type of game and the attack will follow."
Napoli are next in action when they face Swansea City in the Europa League on Thursday.
Alex Meyers
