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Napoli vs Atalanta saw two Super Eagles stars go head-to-head in the Serie A and there could only be one winner.
Napoli hosted Atalanta at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Serie A on Saturday, March 11.
The hosts were hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at home against Lazio.
Luciano Spalletti and his men were hoping to stretch their team’s lead at the top of the summit bearing in mind how tricky the match against Gian Piero Gasperini’s team would be.
Napoli dominated proceedings in the first period as expected, with Matteo Politano being the first to test the visitors after seeing his effort saved by Juan Musso in the sixth minute.
Napoli continued to control the game, although, there were tackles flying in the opening 30 minutes in what seemed like a physical contest.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made an explosive drive into the box in the 28th minute and unleashed a shot, only to see it save donce more by Atalanta shot-stopper Musso.
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Victor Osimhen was nect to try his luck in the 31st minute after heading on from a freekick, but the Super Eagles striker couldn’t keep his header on target.
Juan Musso was the real hero of the first period after keeping out the hosts from taking the lead amid a series of Napoli attacks in the first half.
Both teams headed into the break with the scores still deadlocked.
Second Half
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Desperate to open the scoring Napoli wasted no time in creating chances in the second period and Osimhen came close to finding the back of the net.
The Nigeria international darted into the box to connect with a cross but saw his effort saved by the alert Musso.
Atalanta struggled to create really clear cut chances but did a good job of keeping Napoli’s attack at bay.
Osimhen came close again in the 59th minute after heading from a corner. But the Nigerian striker failed to hit the target that time.
The hosts would eventually open the scoring a minute later and Musso would eventually be beaten, with usual suspects Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia combining to give Napoli a deserved 1-0 lead.
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Later on in the half, Atalanat started to create chances and test the Napoli shot-stopper Alex Meret.
Luis Muriel wriggled his way into the box and blazed an effort that was saved by the Napoli goalkeeper in the 73rd minute before Duvan Zapata saw his header from a corner saved as well from the resulting corner.
However, it was not to be for Atalanta , as Napoli found a second goal after defender Amir Rahmani headed home from a corner three minutes later to double the hosts’ lead.
Atalanta came clsoe to pulling a goal back after Matteo Ruggari saw his brilliant effort at the near post saved by Meret again.
In the end Luciano Spalletti’s men held on for a 2-0 win againt Atalanta stretching their lead at the top of the summit to 18 points off second-placed Inter.
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Social Media Reactions
Following Napoli's impressive victory over Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday, here's how fans on social media have reacted.
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