Spal goes 2nd in Serie A with 2-0 win over Atalanta
FERRARA, Italy (AP) — Surprising Spal moved up to second in Serie A with a 2-0 win over Atalanta as its rennovated stadium was inaugurated on Monday.
Andrea Petagna scored both goals — his first with Spal and his first brace in the Italian league — while on loan from Atalanta.
Spal has nine points from the opening four rounds, three fewer than perfect Juventus. The Ferrara-based club is ahead of Napoli on goal differential.
Petagna scored his first with a rebound in the 50th then had a shot deflected in by a defender six minutes later.
Spal had been playing its home matches in nearby Bologna while the capacity of its Stadio Paolo Mazza was boosted above 16,000 — the minimum required to host Serie A matches.
Spal finished 17th last season in its first top-division appearance in 49 years.