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Atalanta’s Italian manager Gian Piero Gasperini has showered encomiums on his team for showcasing ‘a remarkable performance’ to wallop Napoli 3-0 at the Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday afternoon.
Gasperini left top scorer Mateo Retegui on the bench, a move that left the Napoli defence with no main striker to hold on to. All Atalanta’s attackers proved dangerous as seen in Charles De Ketelaere’s two assists for Nigerian star Ademola Lookman for his goals.
Lookman’s impressive strikes came within the opening half-hour much to the disappointment of the home fans. Retegui, who replaced De Ketelaere, scored in stoppage-time to complete the 3-0 victory.
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Napoli is a “strong team that has done extraordinary things”
“We know that we are strong, we’re not denying it. Clearly, these games are a test of where we are, facing a strong team that has done extraordinary things since the start of the season,” Gasperini said while speaking to DAZN.
“We knew that we would require a remarkable performance, we did that. But the team has also grown since last year with the extra confidence that has been earned with the win in Europe.”
The 66-year-old further said: “We have great attacking players and clearly they are a step above at the moment. We cannot always play with all three together, especially with so many games close together, so they can be decisive off the bench too.
“We scored with Samardzic and Zappacosta off the bench midweek too, so these solutions are essential.”
Tags: Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta, Napoli, Serie A, Charles De Ketelaere, Ademola Lookman, Mateo Retegui, Scudetto, #nrtcnewsnigeria, #nrtcnews, #nrtcnigeria, #nrtcsports, #NewsRoundTheClock.