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Lazio boss Stefano Pioli described Sunday as his "most beautiful day as a coach" as his side sealed their return to the Champions League with a 4-2 win at Napoli. The Biancocelesti held on to third place to return to the competition for the first time in eight years after a dramatic victory at the Stadio San Paolo. "It would not have been right for us to end what has been an extraordinary season for us with nothing in our hands but a place in the Europa League," Pioli said at a news conference in Naples. "Right from day one we believed that we could challenge for a lofty position, and now we're going to enjoy the moment. "It's my most beautiful day as a coach. I dedicate it to our people, to a unique group of fans who, during the week after our derby defeat to Roma, invaded our training centre to show us their support." After Lazio had led 2-0 at the break, Napoli fought back to level at 2-2 before Gonzalo Higuain missed a penalty -- and a chance to complete a hat trick -- and substitutes Ogenyi Onazi and Miroslav Klose wrapped up Lazio's win. "Even if he had scored, I knew we would have done it anyway," Pioli said. "I've always believed in my lads, and they showed me that my faith was well placed. "My lads said before kick-off that we deserved to finish third, and they were right. I'm delighted for them. Now we need to consolidate these results for a great future." The defeat means Napoli miss out on the Champions League for a second successive season. Coach Rafa Benitez -- who is leaving to join Real Madrid -- saw his side finish fifth and miss out on up to €40 million of revenue, potentially making it harder for them to keep players such as Higuain and Jose Callejon.
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