Gian Piero Gasperini is no longer in Zingonia but Atalanta returns to raise your voice in the most important competition in Europe. Raffaele Palladino’s eleven withstood the impact against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea well, they went down on an action perhaps tainted by an offside but in the second half they had the strength and courage to fight on equal terms con i Blues and take three really heavy points. At the beginning of the second half, Scamacca scored the first goal in the Champions League, taking advantage of a lack of attention from the London defense, while Charles De Ketelaere closed the score with an action that rewarded a performance really important for the Orobics. In the final, Maresca’s eleven tries to gain at least one point but the Lombard defense holds up well and takes home the victory which is worth the overtaking arell’Inter in the Champions League single group standings.
Chelsea passes, Atalanta believes in it
Public of the great occasions at the New Balance Arena for one of the more fascinating intersections of the Goddess’ season: Palladino fields Kolasinac and Bernasconi as starters, Maresca responds with Chalobah on the right and Acheampong as starter. Atalanta started off in style as usual very aggressivewith high defense to hinder phrasing on the midfield Blues: the Orobic team haven’t had much luck against the English in the past, three defeats and three draws so far but Palladino’s men are trying to play it anyway. The first, enormous opportunity fell right at the feet of the Bergamo players when Kolasinac recovered the ball and unleashed Lookman’s run: a great one-two with Ederson who went to the back and served De Ketelaere’s cut just a moment late. Goalkeeper Sanchez understands everything and manages to deflect just enough to prevent the former AC Milan player from inflating the net. Chelsea tries to respond by pushing down the flanks and putting crosses in the center but neither Bynoe-Gittens’ nor Pedro Neto’s attempts manage to find space – 17′ before tile for Palladino when Bellanova, one of the most active on the wings, has a muscle problem after a searing shot: it is inevitable that he will be replaced by Zappacosta.
A couple of minutes later it is the former Roma player who puts a very inviting ball for Scamacca, who puts it with his heel on Lookman’s feet. Great shot from the Nigerian but Acheampong understands everything and deflects the shot with the goalkeeper beaten. Right at the best moment of the Goddess, Chelsea find the advantage: Reece James receives the ball from a corner and puts a low cross towards Joao Pedro, who drills Carnesecchi. The Spanish linesman raises his flag and, in effect, the Englishman’s position it seems irregular: the long VAR control, however, issues an opposite verdict, greeted by a barrage of boos from the Bergamo fans. It takes Atalanta a few minutes to respond: De Ketelaere looks for Lookman but Badiashile somehow manages to put a patch on it. Shortly after, the Nigerian is again thrown in deep by Scamacca: before he can engage Sanchez, Acheampong’s tackle arrives but the linesman had already alfortor the flag. At the end of the first half the home team tried to increase the pace of the ball rotation to look for spaces in the attentive rearguard of the Londoners but, despite the lots of possessiondoes not create any scoring opportunities. In injury time, Maresca’s eleven raised their center of gravity but the Orobic defense withstood the impact: at half-time Chelsea were ahead 1-0 but the game was still very open.
Scamacca-De Ketelaere, the Goddess turns it around
Maresca replaced the cautioned Chalobah with Fofana during the break but the second half had begun even more furious compared to what we saw in the first half. If in the 48th minute Acheampong first involuntarily provides a good ball to Lookman and then takes it back forcefully, the Dea defense is found unprepared when Bynoe-Gittens provides Fernandez with a very inviting assist. Luckily the Argentine forward is unusually inattentive and forgets the ball, easy prey for Kossounou. The match takes one interesting fold after the 50th minute, when a series of chances followed on both sides: new drumming action by the Blues with Reece James wasting both Fernandez’s pass and Djimsiti’s clearance while on the reverse in front of Lookman puts it on goal Zappacosta’s cross but in a clearly irregular position. Atalanta, however, was on the ball and equalized in the 55th minute when Charles De Ketelaere had space on the right, went to the back and put in a soft cross that found Gianluca Scamacca all alone. The Italian forward makes no mistakes and scores his first goal in the Champions League with a header. The home team’s goal had the effect of an electroshock on the Londoners, who they throw themselves body and soul in attack, significantly raising the pace of the match. Pedro Neto’s cross to the center in the 58th minute was very dangerous but Kossounou understood everything and managed to prevent Joao Pedro from being able to challenge Carnesecchi again.
Atalanta is often forced to get into the trenches to withstand the gusts of the Londoners but does not completely give up on counterattacks: in the 62nd minute a new opportunity for Scamacca who heads well but this time Sanchez dives and blocks the shot. Maresca understands that Chelsea are suffering too much from the Orobic counterattacks and decides to change: Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez out, room for Garnacho and Malo Gusto. Palladino’s response arrives a few minutes later: the excellent Kolasinac and Scamacca are out, about twenty minutes for Ahanor and Krstovic. The teams have spent a lot in a quarter of an hour played at a very high pace and now, necessarily, they are forced to take a breath. The break, however, doesn’t last long and it’s Chelsea who tries with more insistence to score the goal that would have been worth the victory: in the 76th minute Maresca was forced to replace the new substitute Fofana, who had picked up a notched to the face completely involuntary on Scamacca’s part. The Londoners have the ball of the game in their hands and try to make their greater technique weigh on a short-of-breath Atalanta but it is precisely the Goddess who find the right play. Krstovic takes a quick free kick for De Roon who provides a great ball for De Ketelaere to turn: his shot is deflected and deceives Sanchez. The final forcing of the guests doesn’t help much, thanks to a couple of capital saves from Carnesecchi: in the end at the New Balance Arena it ends with a deserved 2-1 of Atalanta which rises to third place in the Champions League table.
The scoreboard
ATALANTA (3-4-3): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Djimsiti, Kolasinac (71′ Ahanor); Bellanova (17′ Zappacosta), de Roon, Ederson (87′ Musah), Bernasconi; De Ketelaere, Scamacca (71′ Krstovic), Lookman (87′ Pasalic). Allentore: Raffaele Palladino
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): R. Sanchez; Chalobah (46′ Fofana, 76′ Adarabioio), Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; R. James, M. Caicedo; Pedro Neto (67′ Garnacho), E. Fernandez (67′ Malo Gusto), Bynoe-Gittens; João Pedro. Allenator: Enzo Maresca
Markers: 26’ Joao Pedro (C), 55’ Scame (A), 83’ Decolier (A)
Warned: 29′ Chalobah (C)
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez (Spain)
