Luciano Spalletti hailed a Maradona-like goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as Napoli beat Atalanta 2-0 to stretch their dominant lead at the top of Serie A.

The 11th goal of the Georgians debut Serie A season came in the 60th minute of Saturdays game, as he slalomed his way into the penalty area and left defenders floundering before burying a fierce finish into the roof of the net.

Kvaratskhelia left Atalanta captain Rafael Toloi bamboozled by his shimmying footwork, and it was hard not to think of the great goals scored by Napoli legend Diego Maradona as a reasonable measure of comparison.

This was special, and it means Kvaratskhelia has 20 goal involvements in the league campaign, given he has also notched up nine assists. He and fellow Napoli forward Victor Osimhen are the only players in Serie A this season to reach that mark, with striker Osimhen on 23 (19 goals, four assists).

It was very difficult to beat this Atalanta team, they are a solid and aggressive team, Spalletti said. We were good in terms of intensity and then Kvara put his enormous quality into it.

He scored a Maradona-like goal. It was a goal that started from afar, first with [Frank] Anguissas great ball recovery, then with Osimhens progression, and then with the prowess of Khvicha who is an extraordinary player in one-on-one situations.

Spalletti watched admiringly and spoke of how Kvaratskhelia had the defenders in trouble without ever making it clear whether hell go to the right or to the left, and then he shoots with precision and power.

Amir Rrahmani headed a second in the 77th minute to make sure of victory after Atalanta had their most threatening spell of the game.

Napolis win took them 18 points clear of closest rivals Inter, with Lazio having a chance in the late game on Saturday to jump to second, albeit still a distant 17 points adrift of Spallettis side.

This result in Naples came in the wake of a rare loss for Napoli against Lazio last time out in Serie A, with the return to winning ways surely soothing any nerves.

Napolis lead is huge, and they know this is a platform from which they must become champions as they seek a first league title since Maradona himself drove the team to glory in 1986-87 and 1989-90, the only Scudetto triumphs in their history.

Winning this match was very important for the team, Spalletti said, quoted on Napolis website. We want to reach the stars, and we will do everything to achieve it.

Weve already heard too many rumours after the evening against Lazio, many immediately rushed to give summary judgements, and therefore it was right to respond on the pitch.

Well do everything to reach the stars, but in the middle there are games that you have to play with concreteness, conviction and character. If we continue with this mentality, we can be calm.

Maradona could see Argentinas impending doom

Italian prosecutors probe AC Milans 1.2 bln euro sale

Inter end Napolis unbeaten start

Spalletti urges Napoli to seize unprecedented Scudetto chance after reaching 50 points

Inter squeeze past Udinese, Messias fires Milan third

সাড়ে ৫ ঘণ্টা পর ঢাকা-রাজশাহী রেল যোগাযোগ স্বাভাবিক

রাজশাহী ও হরিয়ান স্টেশনে কোনো ট্রেন আটকে নেই

আহমদিয়াদের ওপর হামলা ক্ষমতাসীনদের কাজ: বিএনপির তদন্ত কমিটি

Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.