Napoli Fume Over ‘Shameful’ Officiating In Atalanta Defeat

Napoli have launched a furious attack on the refereeing following their 2-1 Serie A loss to top-four rivals Atalanta on Sunday, a match decided by Lazar Samardzic’s late winner for the hosts.

Raffaele Palladino’s side extended their unbeaten league run to nine matches with an impressive second-half comeback.

Atalanta remain seventh in the table, just two points behind fourth-placed Roma in the race for next season’s Champions League.

Injury-hit reigning champions Napoli sit third, but are now 14 points adrift of runaway leaders Inter Milan and only five points ahead of Atalanta.

Napoli were left incensed after a penalty award was overturned and a goal disallowed in the first half.

Sporting director Giovanni Manna told DAZN: “Where is the foul? The VAR called him on the penalty, why not on this? It’s embarrassing. There has to be a review of this because every week a club ends up here protesting about decisions. All we want is what is right, what is ours, but this is not right, and it is not football. It’s shameful, I have no more words.”

Atalanta will now focus on next week’s Champions League knockout play-off second leg against Borussia Dortmund, where they aim to overturn a 2-0 deficit in Bergamo.

The visitors initially took the lead when Sam Beukema, one of three unmarked Napoli players, headed in Miguel Gutierrez’s free-kick. Conte’s men were awarded a penalty shortly before halftime for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review. Hojlund was involved again immediately after the restart when his cut-back was converted by Gutierrez, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul by the Danish striker in the build-up.

Atalanta equalised just after the hour mark through Mario Pasalic’s flicked header from Nicola Zalewski’s corner. The home side completed their turnaround with nine minutes remaining when Samardzic sent a looping header into the far corner from Lorenzo Bernasconi’s cross.