Eleven days after dismissing their French coach Rudi Garcia, Naples won 2-1 at Atalanta Bergamo on Saturday as part of the 13th day of the Italian Championship.
The reigning champion, coached by Walter Mazzarri, is now 3rd with 24 points, seven lengths behind the leader, Inter Milan, opposed on Sunday to its runner-up, Juve, but it can drop to 4th place if AC Milan (23 pts) which faces Fiorentina on Saturday evening wins. Napoli, attractive and dominant in the first period, opened the scoring with Kvicha Kvaratskhelia (44th).
Atalanta, returning after the break with better intentions, equalized thanks to Ademola Lookman, also with a header (53rd). The entry at the hour mark of Victor Osimhen, absent for more than a month due to an injury to his right thigh, reinvigorated the reigning champion. The Nigerian striker stood out Eljif Elmas who doubled the lead and gave his team victory (79th). For his return to the Napoli bench, Mazzarri, who already coached the club between 2009 and 2013, received a warning for contesting the arbitration
The 62-year-old technician was recalled on November 14 to replace Garcia, who was sacked after just four months. In sixteen matches under the Frenchman’s leadership, including four in the Champions League, Naples won eight matches and lost four, all at home, including a final defeat against poorly ranked Empoli just before the last international break, for four draws. .