Walter Mazzarri hailed his Napoli players after their 3-3 draw with Europa League opponents Steaua Bucharest.

Napoli were trailing 3-0 at Steaua Bucharest after just 16 minutes, but snatched a 3-3 draw at the 98th minute.

"I can't help but be enthusiastic with the reaction of the lads considering how things were shaping up," said the Coach.

"Our objective was to field a solid side that could bring home all three points. However, those intentions were blown sky high after two goals in the first 10 minutes.

"The team was in shock and made an error for the third goal. The initial battering would've had any side on their knees, even the most experienced, but we found the strength to get back on our feet and secure the result."

It took the introduction of stars Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik to turn the game around, even after Steaua Bucharest went down to 10 men.

"The medical staff can confirm that physical tiredness starts to be felt around the 70th minute. I have to preserve the energies of my players and spread them over the various competitions.

"For example, Lavezzi came on in the second half today and therefore won't have the lactic acid at the weekend that he would've done if he had played the whole game."