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Atalanta significantly improved their chances of qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday with a 2-1 comeback victory over top-four rivals Napoli.
The win, secured by a late header from Lazar Samardzic, extended Raffaele Palladino’s side’s unbeaten league streak to nine matches.
Despite the victory, Atalanta remain seventh in the Serie A standings, but they have narrowed the gap to just two points behind fourth-placed Roma as the race for Europe intensifies.
The match began poorly for the hosts as injury-depleted Napoli took an early lead. Sam Beukema was left unmarked to head home a Miguel Gutierrez free kick, putting the reigning champions ahead.
Napoli nearly widened the margin when they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund, but the decision was ultimately overturned following a VAR review.
Hojlund’s frustrations continued into the second half when a goal he assisted was disallowed due to a foul he committed earlier in the sequence.
Capitalising on these missed opportunities, Atalanta levelled the score just after the hour mark. Mario Pasalic met Nicola Zalewski’s corner with a flicked header that found the corner of the net, shifting the momentum in favour of the home team.
The turnaround was completed in the 81st minute when Samardzic connected with a Lorenzo Bernasconi cross, sending a looping header into the far corner to secure all three points and leave Napoli 14 points adrift of league leaders Inter Milan.
With the domestic victory secured, Atalanta now turn their attention to a high-stakes European challenge. They are set to host Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League knockout play-off next week, where they will attempt to overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit.
Meanwhile, Napoli remain in third place but face mounting pressure from the pack of teams chasing the final Champions League spots.
