Romelu Lukaku's Goal Brings Napoli To Leave Atalanta

Romelu Lukaku's Goal Brings Napoli To Leave Atalanta

JAKARTA - Napoli successfully hampered the pace of one of the competitors in the race for the Scudetto, Atalanta. In the big match between the Italian Serie A at Gewiss Stadium, Sunday, January 19, 2025 in the morning WIB, Napoli beat the hosts Atalanta 3-2. Striker Romelu Lukaku scored the goal that determined Napoli's victory.

Who needs Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. No more Kvaratskhelia who just left Napoli yesterday to join Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window.

Without Kvaratskhelia, Napoli still showed their best performance against one of the competitors in the fight for the throne of the standings.

Yes, Atalanta is a serious rival for Napoli, apart from Inter Milan, to beat the Scudetto. They are also more favored for playing at home. Especially at the first meeting at Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, La Dea managed to beat the hosts with a score of 3-0.

But Napoli have already looked different. Coach Antonio Conte managed to polish and turn The Partenopei into one of the teams to be reckoned with in Serie A. Incidentally, Napoli are absent from European competitions so they can fully focus on domestic competitions. Unlike Atalanta and Inter, who are still struggling in the Champions League.

When appearing at Atalanta's home, they showed a high fighting spirit. Left behind first, Napoli finally turned ahead and even won the match.

"I always say that this team is growing. Don't forget, in the previous match Atalanta scored three goals when they beat us in home matches. But this match is very different. I really hope the team has developed well," Conte said as quoted by Football Italia.

"We are actually facing a situation that is not easy. Apart from losing injured players, we are also left by players in the transfer market. But we will not complain and remain upright. Moreover, I have a team that is ready to work hard," he said.

An additional three points made Napoli stronger at the top of the standings with points 50. They are six points ahead with Inter who are in second place. Only, Inter still have two games. If they win all these matches, Inter will also win the top position.

Meanwhile, Atalanta, who previously played a draw three times, failed to improve the ranking. Gian Piero Gasperini's team remained in third place with 43 points.

In that match, Atalanta actually started very well. They managed to lead 1-0 when striker Mateo Retegui broke into the net in the 16th minute. Retegui's left foot kick leading to the top corner of the goal made the Serie A top scorer have scored 14 goals.

But Atalanta's advantage did not last long. Napoli were able to catch up when Matteo Politano beat goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi in the 27th minute.

Furthermore, Napoli took the lead when midfielder Scott McTominay reached the end of the match. The player who was brought in from Manchester United was indeed getting worse in the first year in Italy. He completed an assist from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa who changed the score to 2-1 in the 40th minute. The advantage lasted until the first half was over.

Entering the second half, Atalanta played aggressively suppressing the Napoli defense. As a result, the game had only been running for five minutes, striker Ademola Lookman changed the score to 2-2.

Goals were created when Lookman showed individual action. He was successful in classifying Giovanni Di Lorenzo and then outwitting three Napoli defenders before beating goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Napoli did not give up and were satisfied with the draw. They continued to play openly while trying to dismantle the home defense.

Napoli's patience finally paid off when the match entered the second half of the second half. Lukaku finally broke into Atalanta's goal after welcoming Anguissa's cross in the 78th minute.

The header of the former Manchester United striker, who was borrowed by Inter and AS Roma, gave Napoli a 3-2 lead. The score lasted until the game was over.