Virus rules not Gattuso's cup of tea

NAPLES • Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso has conceded that playing amid enhanced health and safety regulations set up to deal with the coronavirus pandemic was neither easy nor nice.

His team held Inter Milan 1-1 last Saturday to reach the Italian Cup final 2-1 on aggregate, in their first match since the three-month stoppage as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

The competition is being played as a prelude to Serie A's restart on Saturday, with the final against Juventus scheduled for Wednesday.

But following the conclusion of their semi-final second-leg tie with Inter, which saw Dries Mertens cancel out Christian Eriksen's opener for the visitors, Gattuso admitted that the closed-door and strict hygiene measures were an alien concept to him.

"Today, it wasn't easy after 95 days (of not playing football)," he said. "Everything has been strange, and both the staff and the players did well to make it happen tonight.

"Everything has changed, even coming to the stadium is different. Keeping your distance is not easy and it's not nice. But respect for the (tens of) thousands of people who have left us, it's been a devastating thing."

The fiery former Italian international was pleased with his team's display although he called Eriksen's goal, which flew into the net direct from a corner, "daft".

"It wasn't (goalkeeper) David Ospina's fault, it was an error of positioning by the defence," he said. "But the team did well, we managed to start up where we left off 95 days ago.

"The boys are giving everything both in terms of commitment and availability. Now we will play the final with our weapons. If we continue on this path we can take great satisfaction from ourselves."

With Napoli stumbling in Serie A - there is a nine-point gap between them and fourth-placed Atalanta (48) - the Cup looks to be their best chance of getting into Europe next season.

It would also be their only opportunity of silverware this term and their first since winning the same trophy in 2014.

The hosts had Mertens to thank for keeping them in the hunt as he overtook Marek Hamsik to become the club's most prolific goalscorer with 122 strikes.

Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli later revealed he was close to agreeing a contract extension with the Belgium forward, whose deal expires at the end of the term.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS