At the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Atalanta hosted Lazio in one of the biggest clashes of the Serie A weekend. While fireworks were expected, the lackluster Goddess looked out of sort, while the Eagles managed to score an early goal in each half as they marched towards a surprisingly comfortable victory.
Starting Lineups
Prior to the match, it seemed that Gian Piero Gasperini was beginning to find his ideal formation as he lined up his men in a 3-4-1-2 shape. Mario Pasalic started behind Luis Muriel and Ademola Lookman, while the backline featured the young trio of Caleb Okoli, Merih Demiral and Matteo Scalvini.
On the other side, Maurizio Sarri had to rely on Felipe Anderson as a false nine in the absence of star striker and captain Ciro Immobile. The Brazilian was flanked by Pedro Rodriguez and Mattia Zaccagni in a 4-3-3 formation, while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Danilo Cataldi and Matias Vecino started in the middle of the park.
Zaccagni Opener
It didn’t took the encounter took long to witness its first goal, as the visitors took the lead much to dismay of Gasperini. Manuel Lazzari spotted Perdro’s run on the edge of the box and fed him with a brilliant through ball.
The 2010 World Cup winner laid a square ball in the path of Zaccagni, and the Italian made no mistake with his first touch, putting his close-range shot past the hapless Marco Sportiello.
Lazio had two decent chances to double their lead through Vecino, but Atalanta survived the onslaught.
Nonetheless, La Dea failed to produce any sort of danger throughout the first period except for a wayward header by Hans Hateboer who was offside anyway.
Anderson Doubles Lazio Lead
While the Bergamo crowd were hoping for an improved display after the break, the Orobici’s display remained abysmal, with the Biancocelesti pushing for a second goal from the get-go.
Eventually, the capital side doubled its lead when Adam Marusic picked up Anderson in the middle of the box. The former West Ham man finished the play with a clinical low shot that beat Sportiello.
Muriel Sees Red
Even after going down by two goals, Atalanta failed to display any sort of urgency or eagerness to get themselves back into the match, while Lazio were more than happy to sit back and harass them on counter attacks.
The final blow to the hosts’ chances came at the 90th minute when Muriel received his marching orders. The Colombian had earned a first yellow for simulation earlier in the second half, so a rash tackle was enough to end his evening prematurely.
In the end, Sarri comprehensively won his personal tactical duel against Gasperini, as his side continues to rise in the table while collecting a sixth clean sheet on the trot.
??@OfficialSSLazio back to winning ways with a valuable away 3 points vs Atalanta! ???#AtalantaLazio pic.twitter.com/DkKtLMoT90
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 23, 2022
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