In Bergamo, for the sixth day of the single group stage of the Champions League, Atalanta-Chelsea 2-1.
In the 83rd minute De Ketelaere doubled the lead:
Scamacca equalized in the 55th minute. De Ketelaere’s starting point on the right, the Belgian puts a soft cross to the far post where Scamacca heads past Sanchez.
In the 25th minute goal by Joao Pedro. After the VAR review, the goal is awarded to Chelsea! Good position from James, who overlaps on the left and crosses to the center where Joao Pedro slides and passes the ball between Carnesecchi’s legs.
THE VIGIL;
Forgetting Verona to amaze with Chelsea. Atalanta, shaky in the championship, has 10 points in the Champions League exactly like the club world champions: “We want to redeem ourselves from the bad situation on Saturday evening to give joy to our fans, but against an opponent of great values we need the perfect match”, Raffaele Palladino’s refrain from the day before. The Bergamo coach faces a former teammate who he studied during the period of inactivity, between his resignation from Fiorentina and the call from the Nerazzurri club to replace Ivan Juric. “Enzo Maresca played with me at Juventus, in the summer I saw Chelsea and Arsenal. Studying them, however, doesn’t mean winning matches.” More than tactical, Palladino’s work seems psychological: “As soon as he arrived, in the dressing room there was great disappointment at the results that weren’t arriving. We have to fight with everyone with enthusiasm, it doesn’t matter whether there will be the attacking midfielder or the trident. We have to be intense in the two phases and bring all our qualities into play.” Atalanta has CEO Luca Percassi as a great former player, making two appearances in the League Cup with a 5-0 win over Arsenal on 18 November 1998 and in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on 19 January 1998 when he joined the Blues together with Sam Dalla Bona from the Nerazzurri youth sector.
But above all there is a new leader, freed from mere offensive tasks: “Playing for three seasons in Bergamo makes me proud – explained De Ketelaere -, now I have more freedom on the pitch and I help my teammates in more ways despite starting from the same area. I feel responsible for the team, in fact in Verona when I was replaced I was nervous about the performance”. In all likelihood Pasalic will still be on the bench to make room for the trident with the Belgian, Lookman on the left and Scamacca. Palladino expects great things from the Roman: “He’s growing, thanks to the intensity he’s putting into training. With more determination he can do great things.” A spot for the centre-forward, the only one to score in the two championship defeats by Napoli and Verona with the victory against Fiorentina in between, also from De Ketelaere: “I’m happy that Gianluca is back playing and scoring, I know how much he suffered last season. With him and Ademola we can do great things. And aim for direct qualification for the Champions League round of 16.”
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