Napoli vs Atalanta Review
Napoli comfortably defeated Atalanta 3-1 in Raffaele Palladino’s debut as head coach of La Dea. This result means that the Bergamo team has, for the first time since the 2017/18 season, failed to win at least two of their first six Serie A away matches (1 win, 3 draws, 2 losses). Atalanta had a fresh start after parting ways with former manager Ivan Jurić during the international break due to a disappointing start to the season. However, a tough first half quickly dashed any hopes the visiting supporters might have had. After a fairly balanced beginning, David Neres scored the opening goal with a precise close-range finish in the 17th minute, giving the home team the lead.
Atalanta’s attempts to respond were limited to inaccurate long-range shots, and despite having more possession, they struggled to create any clear scoring chances before halftime. At the 38-minute mark, Neres doubled his goal count for the night after being set up by Scott McTominay, calmly placing a low shot out of Marco Carnesecchi’s reach. This was only Napoli’s second shot on target, and they scored again with their third just before halftime, thanks largely to excellent play from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who cut inside and delivered a left-footed cross to the far post where Noa Lang headed the ball into the net.
After withstanding more pressure from Napoli right after the break, Atalanta gave themselves hope of salvaging a result when Gianluca Scamacca expertly volleyed in the 52nd minute. Suddenly, La Dea took control of the game, coming close twice in quick succession, first with Charles De Ketelaere’s powerful shot that flew just over the bar, and then when Vanja Milinković-Savić had to scramble to push away substitute Scamacca’s low effort.
Luckily for the home team, Napoli quickly regained control, helped by three substitutions that ultimately secured the win and all three points. As a result, the defending champions temporarily return to the top of the league table. On the other hand, midtable Atalanta have now gone eight league matches without a win, marking their longest winless streak since a 14-game drought in the 2015/16 season.
