Pepe Reina: 'I studied Mario Balotelli's penalties'

Napoli's Pepe Reina has revealed that he studied Mario Balotelli's penalties closely after becoming the first goalkeeper to save a spot kick from the AC Milan striker.

Reina's save helped Rafael Benitez's side continue their 100% start in Serie A this season, with Gonzalo Higuain on target in a 2-1 win for the Azzurri.

The Spanish keeper has declared that getting Napoli's first win at the San Siro since 1986 was a huge motivation for his side, while insisting that there is still room for improvement under Benitez.

He told reporters: "As always, we studied the Milan players. We knew Mario was very strong at penalties, but I managed to get it.

"This was extra motivation for us, as we knew Napoli's last win here was a long time ago and winning in a stadium like this against a strong Milan side really boosts our confidence.

"As Benitez would say, we are still only at 73% It has been a great start to the season, but we are on the right track and like this we can win something."

Napoli are joint-top of Serie A with four wins in as many matches this season, setting the early pace along with Roma.