Victory had to be and victory it was. Atalanta ended the week on a high note with a clear 6-1 win over Hellas Verona: six slaps starting from that 5-1 in the first half which put the match on the right track: a clear result which once again underlined the physical form of a team that is difficult to stop when they are on the ball. Double from Retegui and Lookmangoals from De Roon and De Ketelaere to close a magical evening: a reaction was needed after the 0-0 draw against Celtic, the response came loud and clear.
Total domination
Six minutes flat. This is how long it took Atalanta to forget about the 0-0 draw against Celtic. The initial monologue came to fruition when Lookman, having escaped the Scaliger defence, served De Roon: the Dutchman had plenty of time to open the plate and overcome Montipò. After three minutes the second goal came thanks to Retegui, the left-footed Italian-Argentinian scored his ninth goal in nine games played. The one-two was terrifying and knocked out a team incapable of reacting: De Ketelaere made it 3-0 with a left-footed shot that ended up under the top corner. Verona struggled to come up with any type of reaction Goddess he exploited every opportunity available with Lookman: the Nigerian scored a brace in the space of five minutes (29′ and 34′ of the first half) for a very heavy 5-0 after just half an hour.
Record goals, Lookman too
Only Sarr tried to save an evening that began badly and ended worse. But the goal under the top corner was only useful for statistics, in the second half Atalanta resumed where they started: Lookman hit the crossbar, Retegui intercepted Samardzic’s assist for the final 6-1. From the 13th onwards the match experienced very little emotion, Gasperini also sent Zaniolo and the young Palestra onto the field for the final parade. At the end of the match the Veronese fans asked Zanetti’s team for more courage: the match against Lecce will not be the last resort, but a reaction is needed.
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