File image of Edoardo Bove.© X (Twitter)

Atalanta stayed hot on the heels of Serie A leaders Napoli on Monday by winning 2-0 at struggling Roma, who were playing at home for the first time since Claudio Ranieri’s return as coach of his boyhood club. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are one point behind Napoli thanks to Marten De Roon’s wildly deflected strike in the 69th minute and former Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo’s late header which gave the Bergamo club their eighth straight win in all competitions.

They are also out on their own in second place, three points ahead of champions Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio, after the perfect start to a tough mini-run of fixtures with AC Milan and Real Madrid visiting in the coming days.

Atalanta, who made history by winning the Europa League last season, look more convincing as Scudetto challengers with each passing week.

A traditionally small club who have never been crowned Italian champions, Atalanta are the division’s leading scorers, have the top goalscorer in Mateo Retegui and are on an eight-match winning run in Serie A.

“Great stuff today, it wasn’t easy, in fact it was very difficult and even,” goalscorer De Roon told Sky.

“It’s always great to win here but let’s keep our feet on the ground, take each game as it comes. But this run of wins gives us a lot of belief.”

Roma meanwhile are two points above the relegation zone in 15th after a sixth defeat in seven league matches, and although Ranieri’s team were well-drilled his players created little beyond early potshots from Leandro Paredes and Manu Kone.

Atalanta ‘ready’

Artem Dovbyk and Gianluca Mancini also failed to get proper contact on good chances in the second half with the match still goalless.

“We went at it with them as long as we had the energy to do so,” said Ranieri.

“You have to realise that (Atalanta) is a team which has everything in place to fight for the title. They’re ready, really ready.”

Fans welcomed Ranieri back to the Stadio Olimpico with a series of chants and banners, and during the pre-match warm-up Roma’s players also wore T-shirts with the message “Forza Edo” for Edoardo Bove, who collapsed while playing for Fiorentina against Inter.

Bove, a Roma academy product on loan at Fiorentina from Roma since August, is conscious at Florence’s Careggi hospital and undergoing tests to determine why he suddenly fell with 16 minutes gone of Sunday’s fixture, which was called off and will be finished later in the season.

The 22-year-old was part of the Roma team guided by Jose Mourinho which won the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2022 and reached the following season’s Europa League final.

Inter and Fiorentina both have a game in hand on Atalanta due to their match being stopped for Bove’s collapse.

Manchester United took under 60 seconds for them to break the deadlock against Bodo/Glimt.© AFP

Team Roma in action© AFP

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia starred as Napoli got their first win under Antonio Conte on Sunday by beating Bologna 3-0, while Roma slumped to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Empoli. Georgia star Kvaratskhelia celebrated becoming a dad on Wednesday by netting Napoli’s second with 15 minutes remaining in an absorbing contest at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. But while his deflected strike ensured Napoli of the three points and redemption after last weekend’s humbling at Verona, Kvaratskhelia’s real touch of class came in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

The 23-year-old, who also hit the crossbar, clipped a delightful pass over the Bologna defence for the onrushing Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who lashed home the opening goal and unleashed joy both in the stands and on the touchline.

“I think you saw it on the pitch, the energy, and I did everything for the team,” said Kvaratskhelia to DAZN.

“This week was for me so important, I’m so happy that I also came here and won with the team. I’m so happy.”

Napoli captain Di Lorenzo was heavily criticised after his dire performances at Euro 2024, where Italy were dumped out as reigning champions in the quarter-finals by Switzerland.

But his goal helped Napoli beat an enterprising Bologna team who should have more than the one point that they have collected from their first two matches.

“These fans show me a lot of love and I try to pay that back every time I step out onto the pitch,” said Di Lorenzo.

Substitute Giovanni Simeone made it a brilliant home debut for Conte when he forced home new signing David Neres’ low cross deep in added time.

Roma crumble

Also on one point are Roma who lost to Empoli at home for the first time in their history after a hugely disappointing display in which Paulo Dybala staying in the Italian capital wasn’t enough to inspire Daniele De Rossi‘s side.

Emmanuel Gyasi’s tap-in on the stroke of half-time and a Lorenzo Colombo penalty in the 61st minute sank Roma, who pulled one back through Eldor Shomurodov with 10 minutes remaining but couldn’t complete a comeback.

Dybala, whose move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Qadsiah collapsed on Thursday, was one of three Roma players to hit the woodwork alongside Lorenzo Pellegrini and Gianluca Mancini.

But Roma were booed off the pitch for the way they fell two goals behind against a team which is expected to struggle against relegation.

“We were lacking energy and intensity… We played well in the second half but it wasn’t enough, and if you don’t play well in the first half things aren’t going to well for you,” said De Rossi to Sky Sport.

De Rossi doesn’t have long to get his team’s spirits up as Roma travel to Juventus, who face Verona on Monday, next weekend.

Adams emulates Law

Earlier, Che Adams emulated Denis Law with the decisive goal in Torino’s 2-1 win over Atalanta on Sunday, delighting fans who had called for the owner to sell in mass pre-match protests.

Scotland striker Adams netted his first goal for Torino since signing as a free agent last month, tapping home the hosts’ second four minutes after half-time.

The 28-year-old became the first of his countrymen to score for Torino since Scotland and Manchester United legend Law in the 1961/62 season.

Adams rolling in the winner after Duvan Zapata‘s low shot was saved made it a perfect home debut in which he also set up Ivan Ilic’s delightful dinked equaliser in the 31st minute.

His strike, and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saving Mario Pasalic’s penalty deep in stoppage time, put Torino on four points from their first two matches.

The win came after thousands of fans marched to the game together to demand that owner and media magnate Urbano Cairo sell the club after 19 largely drab years at the helm.

Fiorentina were held to a goalless draw by Venezia in the day’s other early kick-off. 

Veteran French striker Olivier Giroud bid farewell to AC Milan in subdued fashion as they slipped to a 5-2 defeat at the hands of AS Roma in an entertaining post-season friendly in Perth on Friday. Just days after the Serie A season ended, Roma had the edge in a high-octane contest in front of 56,522 fans at the Optus Stadium. All eyes were on 37-year-old Giroud as he leaves Europe, where he has played at the top level in France, England and Italy, to head next season to Los Angeles FC.

The 2018 World Cup winning striker is France’s record goalscorer with 57 in 131 internationals and will have a chance to add to that tally at the Euros later this month, after which he will bow out of international football.

“I learned so much from him. He is such a legend,” said Swiss striker Noah Okafor, who replaced Giroud at half-time.

“Big respect that he can perform at that age. I’m going to miss him….just going to enjoy these last hours together.” 

Giroud, who won the Champions League with Chelsea and the Serie A title with Milan in 2021-2022, signed off from league duty in Italy with a goal in a 3-3 draw with Salernitana on Saturday.

He almost replicated that effort in the 30th minute against Roma, only to hit the post. 

But Giroud struggled to get involved and was constantly crowded out by Roma defenders aiming to deny him a farewell flourish, and he was substituted at half-time. 

Roma midfielder Tommaso Baldanzi broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, firing past Marco Sportiello. 

Giroud almost equalised straight away, but it was French left-back Theo Hernandez who tied things up with a fierce shot from outside the area in the 37th minute.

Roma reclaimed the lead just before half-time through England international Tammy Abraham, who has been linked with a return to the Premier League after being made available for transfer. 

It was all-out attack in the second-half, with both teams having made a slew of changes. 

Angelino made it 3-1 early in the half and although Okafor pulled one back for Milan, Paulo Dybala and Sardar Azmoun rounded out the victory for Roma.

It was the only match of the tour with the teams set to fly out of Perth just hours after the game, having arrived on Wednesday morning.