Napoli 2-2 Atalanta
Napoli and Atalanta played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Serie A affair last Wednesday night. It was a game filled with a lot of Serie A 2019 highlights.
It seemed that the Partenopei were primed to take over the game. However, I Nerazzuri managed to rally back to draw level care of a late goal by Josip Ilicic after some mental mistakes by the home team.
Napoli were furious when the referees didn’t call a penalty when Atalanta centre-back Simon Kjaer collided with Fernando Llorente, and that opened a sliver of opportunity for Atalanta to take advantage.
Team manager Carlo Ancelotti was sent off following their reaction and Lorenzo Insigne was given a yellow card for his continuous complaining.
Atalanta continues its roll to the top due to the drawn result, putting them at the third spot behind Inter Milan and Juventus. On the other hand, Napoli sank to the sixth spot and they are still looking for consistency on their end.
Adrenaline and emotions were at an all-time high in this game, and we here at SBOBET are bringing to you the highlights of this game.
Highlights of the game
Hirving Lozano was inserted into the starting XI for Napoli to tandem with Arkadiusz Milik, in what was a surprising move. It was viewed as a huge risk for Carlo Ancelotti since it meant leaving out one of their top scorers in Dries Mertens.
Napoli started the game with a shot on target when centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly almost headed an early goal in just under the first 45 seconds, but Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was there for a save.
The Partenopei followed that one up just a minute later when the ball was volleyed from the right flank, but Gollini was there once again.
Atalanta got their first shot on target via a free-kick, but this time, it was Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret who got in for a wonderful save.
In the 12th minute, Jose Callejon found himself free inside the penalty area, but his left strike was parried away by Gollini.
Jose Callejon would have his chance to make up for his earlier miss when he flicked the ball up for a Nikola Maksimovic header in the 16th minute for Napoli’s first goal of the evening.
Midfielder Fabian Ruiz had his rocket of an attempt blocked by Gollini in the 22nd minute. The ball, however, flew towards for a possible Arkadiusz Milik header, but his attempt just narrowly missed the back of the net.
Remo Freuler scored the equaliser for Atalanta when his kick went through the legs of Alex Meret in the 41st minute. Rafael Toloi found a cutting Freuler down inside the box and his pass was right on the money.
Drama and tension escalated in the second half when both teams entered into a physical slugfest defensively. It was there where most fouls (and even bookings) were meted out by the referees.
The Partenopei took advantage of Atalanta’s defensive mishap in the 71st minute when Arkadiusz Milik raced past all Nerazurri defenders for a low-ball finish. Gollini went to the ball too early, putting himself out of position to stop the goal.
Napoli found a golden opportunity when they saw the ball crossed into the box towards Fernando Llorente, but the Spanish striker was unable to get off a header when he was tackled hard by Simon Kjaer. That drew the ire of the home crowd and the whole Napoli squad since it would’ve been a chance for a penalty to go up 3-1.
As the protests continued, the Nerazurri raced down to the other side for a counter-attack and Josip Ilicic scored a clinical finish when the Napoli defence was disoriented. Carlo Ancelotti was sent off and Lorenzo Insigne was given a yellow card after the continuous protest.
“I feel offended as a professional and I’m disappointed. The defender doesn’t even look at the ball and goes straight for Llorente to try and stop him from jumping. It was a clear penalty. They (referees) made a dreadful mistake,” lamented Ancelotti.
Key statistics
The game was pretty much even when looking at the general statistics. Both teams had the same possession percentage (50-per cent), passes (531), fouls (15), and yellow cards (3).
The last draw between Napoli and Atalanta in Serie A was back in March 2015.
What’s next?
Napoli are going face AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday while Atalanta will go up against Cagliari for their next home game on Sunday at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
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