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       NAPLES: Napoli’s Scott McTominay (R) vies for the ball with Torino’s Cesare Casadei during the Serie A match at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.—AFP

       NAPLES: Two first-half goals from Scott McTom-inay helped Napoli to a 2-0 home victory against Torino in Serie A on Sunday as the hosts reclaimed the sole lead in the standings with four games left to play with the win also securing their return to Europe’s elite club competition.

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       Napoli top Serie A with 74 points, three points clear of defending champions Inter Milan in the standings after Simone Inzaghi’s side stumbled to a shock 1-0 home loss against AS Roma.

       The win also secured Napoli a top-four finish, meaning they will make a return to the Champions League following a one-season absence.

       The 2023 champions had moved level with Inter at the Serie A summit in the previous round when they earned a 1-0 win at bottom side Monza and Inzaghi’s men suffered a last-gasp loss at Bologna the following day.

       “It’s not the first time we’re in the lead, we’ve been in the lead more than anyone else,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte told a press conference. “However, there are fewer and fewer games and you can pay for any type of mistake in a big way. We are mathematically in the Champions League, a very important economic goal for the club, and you have to enjoy it at least a little.”

       Napoli were absent from European competitions this season after finishing 10th last term. Napoli travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari — all in the bottom half of the table — in their final matches.

       “There are four steps to go, I told the lads too,” Conte added. “We had a strange evening. I didn’t watch Inter, because I already suffer enough for our games. I didn’t intervene with the lads [either], I wanted to leave free will, knowing that we could also lose mental energy.

       “Before the game I told them that nothing had changed and that we had to win, with great motivation. The lads were very good, driven by an extraordinary environment.”

       McTominay lit the blue touch paper in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona when he ghosted in at the near post to turn Napoli into the lead on seven minutes against Torino.

       The 28-year-old doubled the advantage just before halftime, striking from around the penalty spot from a neat lofted cross by Matteo Politano, making it his fifth goal in the last three appearances.

       Napoli, however, slowed down significantly ever since taking the lead and their only two attempts on goal were the ones converted by the Scot.

       Torino, who sit 10th on 43 points, ended the game with no shots on target.

       “For us it’s keep calm, keep everything relaxed and go game by game because this game is not important unless we win the next one and the next one after that,” McTominay told DAZN. “It would mean the world as obviously the squad did that two years ago.”

       ATALANTA DRAW WITH LECCE

       Third-placed Atalanta were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Lecce, dragging Gian Piero Gasperini’s side further into the dogfight for Champions League football next season.

       Mateo Retegui extended his lead at the top of the goalscoring charts from the penalty spot as his 69th-minute spot-kick cancelled out Jesper Karlsson’s first-half opener from 12 yards in Bergamo.

       The result left third-placed Atalanta looking nervously over their shoulders as the battle for a top-four finish heats up.

       Atalanta have 65 points with four games left, three points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, while Bologna are two points further adrift in fifth but with a game in hand.

       Despite the mounting pressure, Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini insists that he is not stressed about the situation.

       “Those behind us are more worried. I too am worried when I see this approach, where it seems as if it is normal that Atalanta will qualify for the Champions League. I see some arrogance here and that worries me,” Gasperini told DAZN.

       He added that qualifying for Europe’s top club competition is a remarkable achievement, regardless of the team or season.

       “I have the sensation that people do not perceive the objectives we need to achieve. They are acting as if it’s easy for Atalanta to qualify for the Champions League, but we need to look at the teams that are behind us in the table,” he said.

       “This attitude is certainly damaging to Atalanta and we have to take some of the responsibility for it. This would be an extraordinary achievement and we need to remember that.”

       The match was originally scheduled for Friday but was rearranged after the death of the visitors’ physiotherapist the day before.

       In a protest at having to play the match so soon after their physio’s death, Lecce played in a white jersey without logos and their crest, with the words No values, no colours written on the chest along with a black ribbon.

       Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2025