Atalanta had to put in some real effort against the already-relegated Salernitana, but they managed to secure a 2-1 win at Stadio Arechi. This victory moves them into fifth place and extends their unbeaten run to five matches.
The visitors started brightly and came close to scoring within seven minutes. Aleksei Miranchuk’s shot narrowly missed after a fantastic passing sequence. Lorenzo Pirola made a crucial block to deny Gianluca Scamacca’s attempt after 15 minutes as Atalanta kept up the pressure. However, the bottom-ranked side caught them off guard soon after. Emanuel Vignato set up Loum Tchaouna, who beat the offside trap, cut inside, and scored past Marco Carnesecchi.
Despite this setback, Atalanta didn’t lose faith in attacking. Ademola Lookman missed a chance, and Scamacca was repeatedly denied by home goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo and the defenders in front of him. The defence breathed a sigh of relief just before halftime when another Scamacca shot went wide.
Atalanta knew that a win would lift them above Roma and into a UEFA Champions League spot. However, their luck seemed to be running out when Lookman’s solo effort went wide in the 57th minute. But things turned around when Mario Pašalić’s header found Scamacca, who scored. Six minutes later, Teun Koopmeiners calmly placed a curling shot into the bottom corner from over 25 yards, completing the comeback.
Salernitana didn’t give up easily. Only a crucial block from Hans Hateboer prevented them from equalising after Domagoj Bradarić’s shot. Despite their efforts, Salernitana couldn’t find the back of the net, suffering their fourth consecutive loss and remaining winless in 2024. On the other hand, Atalanta’s fourth away league win in 12 matches sets them up well for their UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Olympique Marseille on Thursday.
Man of the Match: Mario Pašalić (Atalanta)
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