Europa League Winners Atalanta Bask In Hero's Welcome On Home Return

Atalanta were given a hero's welcome on Sunday as the Europa League winners strolled past Torino 3-0 in a festive homecoming after their stunning triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin. Rain and storms have battered northern Italy for most of a soaking wet spring but the sun shone powerfully on the Gewiss Stadium as fans hailed the team that Wednesday swatted aside Leverkusen by the same score in the Europa League final. Fresh from winning their first ever European trophy -- their first major honour of any sort since 1963 -- and having already qualified for the Champions League, Atalanta could have been forgiven for going through the motions in a party atmosphere.

But instead Gian Piero Gasperini's side thumped Torino to move up to fourth and give themselves a chance to equal their best ever finish of third by winning next weekend's game in hand with Fiorentina.

Atalanta's loud home support chanted "we're the champions of Europe!" at the end of a typically swashbuckling performance against sorry Torino, after which the team paraded the Europa League trophy on the pitch to further chants of "thank you, lads".

Gasperini's future has been the hot topic in Bergamo, with persistent rumours of talks with Napoli, who finished their dismal campaign as defending champions with a goalless draw with Lecce.

The 66-year-old, who has been in charge since 2016, had described Napoli as a beautiful woman tempting him away from his wife, but after Sunday's win he confirmed that he would remain faithful.

"After eight years you can get to the stage when you feel some tiredness and think that maybe next year is the time to make a change," said Gasperini to DAZN. 

"It's normal that both sides take time to think about these things. But we're