Napoli Furious with Referees After Defeat to Atalanta
Napoli criticised the "disgraceful" officiating following their 2-1 defeat against top-four challengers Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday, where Lazar Samardzic netted a late deciding goal for the home side.
Under Raffaele Palladino, the team stretched their league unbeaten streak to nine games thanks to a strong second-half comeback.
Atalanta hold seventh position in the standings, yet just two points off fourth-placed Roma, who face Cremonese later that day, as they vie for a spot in next season's Champions League.
The defending champions Napoli, hampered by injuries, occupy third place, five points clear of Atalanta and now 14 behind dominant leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli expressed outrage after a penalty decision was reversed and a goal chalked off during the opening period.
"Where was the infringement? VAR intervened for the penalty, so why not here? This is mortifying," stated Napoli's sporting director Giovanni Manna to DAZN.
"We need an investigation into this, as every week some team is left complaining about rulings.
"We simply seek fairness, our due, but this is neither fair nor proper football. It's a disgrace, I am lost for words."
Atalanta now focus on the upcoming Champions League knockout play-off return fixture against Borussia Dortmund next week, aiming to reverse a 2-0 disadvantage at home in Bergamo.
The away team took an initial advantage when Sam Beukema, among three Napoli defenders left free, nodded in Miguel Gutierrez's free-kick.
Antonio Conte's squad received a spot-kick just before the break after Rasmus Hojlund fell in the area, though VAR prompted the referee to overrule it.
Hojlund featured prominently once more right after the interval, his pass across goal converted by Gutierrez, but the strike was disallowed due to a foul committed by the Danish forward earlier in the move.
Atalanta equalised shortly past the hour when Mario Pasalic nodded a corner from Nicola Zalewski into the net.
The hosts sealed the reversal with nine minutes left, as Samardzic looped a header from Lorenzo Bernasconi's delivery into the opposite corner.