Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli was delighted with the character shown for their 0-0 draw with Napoli.

Viola goalkeeper Alban Lafont produced a series of stunning saves and they were essentially down to 10 men in the final minutes with German Pezzella limping badly.

“We had courage and accepted a one-on-one situation with Napoli, who are among the strongest sides in Serie A," Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

“We never gave in and even under a lot of pressure, with players missing and losing others during the match, we held out for a positive result.

“The objective in our minds is to improve upon last season, so we have to work hard. There are several teams that have strengthened this term in a bid for European football and who have a lot more revenue than us.

“We've been playing every game as if it's a final and today put Alex Meret under a lot of pressure with our two forwards.

“The only regret I have is that we didn't show enough confidence in possession, but we are learning to control certain situations."