Atalanta scored three unanswered goals against Sampdoria in Bergamo this afternoon to leapfrog their opponents to ninth in the Serie A table.
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Carlos Carmona, Giacomo Bonaventura and German Denis each scored one apiece as the Nerazzurri won 3-0 against a side who were level on points with them prior to kickoff.
After a quiet opening 30 minutes, Vasco Regini nearly opened the scoring for the visitors when he shot powerfully from just inside the box to force Andrea Consigli to tip onto his own crossbar.
Five minutes later, Atalanta had gone up the other end to take the lead as midfielder Carmona hit a good 20-yard volley into the bottom corner to net just his second goal of the season.
Their lead was doubled before the interval as Bonaventura rose above his marker to head in Luca Cigarini's 42nd-minute corner, and Atalanta killed the game off shortly after the break.
Top goalscorer Denis took his tally to double figures for the campaign by securing the result with a 56th-minute strike, collecting Maximiliano Moralez's cross before hammering low inside the post.
Roberto Soriano nearly grabbed a consolation for Sampdoria, but Consigli maintained his clean sheet to ensure that Atalanta's third straight victory was recorded by a convincing margin.
Joe Fish
