Rome, Oct 19 (IANS): Napoli head coach Rafa Benitez insisted that his side performed better in their 0-2 loss at Roma Friday.

The Partenopei lost to Roma thanks to Miralem Pjanic's brace at the Stadio Olimpico here, reports Xinhua.

"I think the opening 20 minutes was tough for us, then for the rest of the first half we did very well, in my view better than Roma," Benitez said.

"I look at the performance and in terms of character Napoli did very well this evening. I said beforehand this game would not decide the title, but clearly with the way we played tonight I'd say it was a positive evening. We played well and this bodes well for the future," he said.

The Spaniard complained that the penalty in the second half changed the game completely.

"After the break we controlled everything, but penalty ruined all our efforts," he said.

"The penalty changed everything. Everyone told me it was not a penalty. I am not here to say whether it was a penalty or not, as that will be down to the referees to judge," he said.

He also blamed bad luck for his side's loss.

"If we had scored with Goran Pandev or Lorenzo Insigne, we'd be talking about a different match, clearly. Up until the penalty we were pinning Roma back, but that changed everything and we were reduce to 10 men," he said.

"If we find space for the rapid counter-attack, then we make it difficult for anyone. We had a few chances and moved the ball around well, but against a strong side like Roma to concede a goal on the stroke of half-time and another on a penalty it becomes difficult for everyone," he added.