Atalanta edge towards CL with Napoli win
ATALANTA made another step towards next season’s Champions League on Thursday after a 2-0 Serie A win over Napoli that extended the gap between them and the chasing pack.
Goals from Mario Pasalic and Robin Gosens early in the second half broke Napoli’s resistance at the Gewiss Stadium and put Atalanta on 60 points in fourth place, and the final Champions League spot, with nine matches remaining.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, now unbeaten in nine in the league, are 15 points ahead of sixth-place Napoli and 12 in front of Roma, who host Udinese later on Thursday hoping to reduce the deficit back to nine.
Napoli sit in the last Europa League spot and are now looking over their shoulders at AC Milan and Hellas Verona after their five-match winning league run was brought to an end in Bergamo.
Milan are two points behind Gennaro Gattuso’s team after thir last-gasp draw with struggling SPAL on Wednesday while Verona’s 3-2 home success over Parma means they are just a further point back.
Expected to be an end-toend affair between two of Serie A’s in-form teams, the opening period was an surprisingly drab affair.
The most noteworthy moment of a cagey first half was when Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina had to be stretchered off with his head bandaged after he collided with Atalanta defender Mattia Caldara.