Atalanta have thrown the race for the top four wide open with a 3-1 victory over Roma, as Mario Pasalic and Rafael Toloi scored before Teun Koopmeiners pounced on a Rui Patricio howler.
2022/2023 Serie A
3-1
Match Report
This result could have a big effect on the race for the Champions League spots. La Dea were missing Ademola Lookman, Hans Hateboer and Matteo Ruggeri, while the Giallorossi lost Chris Smalling, Gini Wijnaldum and Rick Karsdorp, plus Paulo Dybala not risked from the start after Thursday’s extra time Europa League quarter-final win over Feyenoord.
Tammy Abraham went down in the box, but the referee and VAR agreed that Rafael Toloi got the ball first, then Nicola Zalewski had a shot deflected wide after twisting and turning in the box.
The deadlock was broken by the first moment of magic, as Abraham was robbed and Duvan Zapata got away down the left, standing up the cross for a wonderful Mario Pasalic left-foot volley from 12 yards.
Abraham blasted over after an Ola Solbakken back-heel flick, then turned a header wide after the restart from a promising position.
Jose Mourinho made a quadruple substitution and transformed the shape to a four-man defence, with Paulo Dybala’s volley charged down and Pasalic firing over from the edge of the area.
Atalanta doubled their lead from a corner, as first Jose Luis Palomino with his first touch off the bench had his header beaten away by Rui Patricio, then Rafael Toloi fired in the rebound, despite Diego Llorente’s attempts to clear off the line.
Roma began to pour forward with desperation, a couple of Dybala attempts over the bar and Andrea Belotti’s back-heel flick set up Lorenzo Pellegrini for a strike from the edge of the box squirming into the bottom corner.
However, less than 60 seconds later Atalanta had restored their two-goal cushion when Llorente shepherded it back to Rui Patricio, who crouched down to scoop up the ball, but instead it bounced off his arms and Koopmeiners kept his cool to finish into the empty net.
Roma went close again, as Pellegrini’s free kick thumped the upright with Sportiello scrambling across. Things went from bad to worse, as Llorente pulled up with a hamstring strain and hobbled back to the bench in tears, leaving them down to 10 men, while Dybala was limping badly after a rough Palomino tackle on his ankle.
Line-ups
Atalanta XI: Zapata, Toloi, De Roon, Djimsiti, Sportiello, Zappacosta, Pasalic, Teun Koopmeiners, Joakim Maehle, Éderson, Giorgio Scalvini
Subs: Muriel, Palomino, Rossi, Musso, Jérémie Boga, Demiral, Brandon Soppy, Rasmus Højlund, Lorenzo Bernasconi, Leonardo Mendicino
Roma XI: Patricio, Cristante, D.Llorente, Zeki Celik, Pellegrini, Abraham, G. Mancini, Ola Solbakken, Ibanez, Nicola Zalewski, Edoardo Bove
Subs: Matic, El Shaarawy, Spinazzola, Dybala, Belotti, Mile Svilar, Camara, Kumbulla, Benjamin Tahirovic, Pietro Boer, Cristian Volpato