Final result: Atalanta-Marseille 3-0
ATALANTA (edited by Patrick Iannarelli)
Musso 6.5 – In the first half he was part of the 15 thousand paying players, in the second half he was forced into a few too many overtimes with a couple of low outputs. He prays on Ndiaye’s lob and on Veretout’s crossbar, but his attention remains very high.
Djimsiti 7 – Maybe just one flaw, but otherwise it dominates over everyone: it closes any space, keeps calm, doesn’t even make mistakes in construction.
Hien 7 – The fight with Aubameyang is the old fashioned way, a rustic duel won by the former Verona player. Perfect closures, of strength, of personality.
De Roon 7 – Gasperini probably fielded three more, or rather no. It’s always him, he comes out of nowhere, goes to get every ball with anger and malice.
Zappacosta 6.5 – On such evenings he is inspired enough, sinking digging unbridgeable furrows. Maybe he does something wrong, but it doesn’t matter on an evening like this. From 77′ Hateboer sv
Ederson 6.5 – He struggles to dirty the game, he messes up especially on simple balls, making his life difficult. But then he grows, grows a lot and runs for four. From 55′ Scalvini 6.5 – He enters the field with malice, he doesn’t let anything pass.
Koopmeiners 7 – A contemporary painter, but the art is of quality. He doesn’t score, but he plays football, real football: passes like a phenomenon, he is uncatchable.
Ruggeri 7.5 – That right hand will probably end up in several tattoos. It will certainly remain imprinted in the memory of an entire city. And then he plays with sacrifice throughout the match.
De Ketelaere 7.5- Marseille gives him space, lots of space. And the Belgian is a devil dressed in Nerazzurri: he runs away, becomes unstoppable, brushes balls everywhere. De Dal 61′ Pasalic 6.5 – He comes in and puts a lot in the middle of the pitch, in a truly crucial moment.
Scamacca 6.5 – When he goes to the bank it’s a sentence. He leans in, creates, opens the game: the crossbar from close range screams revenge, but the performance remains to be remembered. From 55′ Miranchuk 6 – The game is pretty tough, but he doesn’t lack the quality to play football.
Lookman 8 – It starts with one, two, three turnovers. Then at the right moment he pulls a wonderful rabbit out of the hat. Then the assist, he practically never stops. From 76′ Tourè 7 – A bit of a man of providence, when he enters he rarely makes mistakes: goal on the 30th and off to the North to celebrate.
Gian Piero Gasperini 8 – It’s yet another masterpiece, that could be enough here. Then he invents the perfect match after Liverpool: the whole stadium praises him, thrilling stuff.
Marseille (edited by Marco Pieracci)
Pau Lopez 6.5 – The best of his, he limits the damage on Atalanta target practice. He avoids the goleada, bowing only in the face of three unstoppable goals.
Mbemba 5 – Protagonist at the Velodrome with the equalizing goal, this time he crosses Lookman who gives him no respite: he gets put down. From 59′ Ounahi 5.5 – Lots of running, little yield.
Gigot 5.5 – Weight return to the center of the defense, to counter Scamacca’s excessive physical power. He fails to close on the first goal.
Balerdi 4.5 – On that side the Dea breaks through with negligible ease, struggling to read De Ketelaere’s plays: the Belgian has a different pace. Tripped by Touré on the Nerazzurri trio.
Clauss 5 – He plays very high, but the aggressiveness of the Goddess makes him peripheral. He collects one error after another, Ruggeri makes him black. From 72′ Moumbagna 6 – Dangerous on the counterattack.
Harit 5 – A bit of a midfielder and a bit of an attacking midfielder, but decidedly less disruptive than a week ago: few spaces, he doesn’t tear up. From 84′ Correa sv
Kondogbia 4.5 – He tries in vain to limit Koopmeiners’ initiatives and leaves the duel with broken bones. Shaken by Lookman at 1-0, he loses the ball to make it 3-0.
Veretout 6 – Hidden in the folds of the race, you almost forget its presence. He wakes up in the second half and hits the crossbar from a standing start.
Merlin 5.5 – He starts out shy, then raises the engine speed and reaches the bottom to go for the cross. Behind it grants meadows in which CDK gets married. From 71′ Luis Henrique 5.5 – Minimal impact.
Ndiaye 5 – Indisputable technique, accompanied by a certain underlying anarchy: he peeks out from Musso’s side but misses his aim. From 59′ Sarr 5 – Impalpable entrance.
Aubameyang 5 – Followed by Hien, who forces him to retreat: when he tries to overtake him he always finds the road blocked. Bewildered.
Jean-Louis Gasset 4.5 – He proposes the three-man defense again, to once again put himself in the mirror with Gasp. What makes the difference, however, is the interpretation. Out with their heads down, without much to complain about: Atalanta’s superiority was overwhelming.