What Luciano Spalletti thinks of Rangers as boss admits Napoli endured 'difficult' battle

Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti has praised Rangers for showing a determination to impose themselves in the Champions League - despite their 3-0 loss to the Italian giants on Wednesday night.

Goals from Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele left Light Blues fans disheartened as a second loss in as many Champions League group stage games left them as the only pointless side in Group A heading into the third round of fixtures. With Liverpool and Ajax on three points apiece and Napoli having collected six, fears have already set in that Rangers' European adventure is set to come to an abrupt end so early into the season.

But the Gers didn't go down without a fight. They were not shy of chances in the first half, and were buoyed once again as Allan McGregor saved two penalties on the hour mark to give Gio van Bronckhorst's men hope of securing a famous result. Of course, that didn't happen, but the signs were there as they went toe-to-toe with the Serie A league leaders on a memorable night in Govan - and Spalletti admitted as much, stating that his side were challenged by the Light Blues throughout before running away with all three points towards the final ebbings.

“It was a big win and I want to congratulate the players," Spalletti said. “We faced a tough challenge as Rangers were determined to impose themselves and bounce back. They tried to play a physical game and we did well to control play using our technical ability. It was the performance we were looking for. We showed quality and I think it was a mature display from the team.

“It was difficult out there for everyone. For me, what was crucial was the reaction after the two unconverted penalties. We showed that we have depth and personality. And I’d