Thaindian News

Rome, Nov 30 (IANS) Italian Serie A leaders Juventus extended their unbeaten record in the current football season after they fought back to draw 3-3 with hosts Napoli.

Napoli had a dream start as they raced to a 2-0 lead before the break, but suffered a nightmarish ending after conceding two goals in the last 18 minutes Tuesday.

Marek Hamsik opened the scoring for the hosts before Goran Pandev scored the second. Alessandro Matri pulled one back for Juventus, but Pandev’s second restored the two-goal lead before Marcelo Estigarribia and Simone Pepe scored late to earn a draw.

Napoli head coach Walter Mazzarri blamed his side’s poor showing in the second half on fatigue.

“We had a spectacular first half while our strength held out, but unfortunately we paid the price for the many fixtures. When the games notch up, you pay for it,” Mazzarri was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

“I didn’t want the half-time break to come, as our enthusiasm could have kept us going for another 15 minutes. When the scoreline became 3-1 after Pandev’s goal, I honestly thought we had won it, even if we were struggling in terms of stamina,” he added.

Juventus head coach Antonio Conte praised his side’s perseverance.

“There were some very strong responses in terms of character. Aside from the head, legs and tactics, without heart you cannot fight back and put a game like this back on track,” he said.