Atalanta recovered from an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Inter before the international break with an enthralling 3-2 home triumph against Fiorentina. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had to fight back twice in the first half to end a two-game losing run in Serie A.
Marquee summer arrival Mateo Retegui maintained his free-scoring form at the start of the season. The former Genoa striker scored an equalizer after Atalanta fell behind, courtesy of Lucas Martinez Quarta’s opener. Raffaele Palladino’s team regained the lead through Moise Kean.
However, Atalanta turned the game on its head before halftime. Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman struck twice in less than 120 seconds to fire La Dea in front on the stroke of the interval. Little did anyone at the Gewiss Stadium know it would be the final score.
Despite several decent scoring chances on both ends of the field, neither side could find the net in the second half. Gasperini walked away happier of the two managers as his Atalanta side returned to winning ways ahead of their impending Champions League return.
The veteran coach hailed his team’s mentality after the match.
“We played a good game. We grew up and played with morale despite going down twice,” the Atalanta boss said, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio. “When you have this confidence, you can always fix and turn games around. In the second half, we also had the opportunity to close it out.”
Fresh off a dramatic win against Fiorentina, Atalanta will take on Arsenal in their opening Champions League outing on Thursday.
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