Turin-Atalanta 1-2, goals from Zappacosta, Sanabria and Zapata

There is also Atalanta in the running for the Champions League, and it is the strongest message that Gasperini’s team sends to the championship from tonight in Turin. The grenades lose a match played well, but pay for two sensational individual errors: first that of Milinkovic on Zappacosta’s advantage when the goalkeeper conceded a goal on his post from a shot from the left. Then comes Schuurs’ mistake in the 88th minute, who slips into the area and leaves Zapata free to strike in front of Milinkovic. Sanabria’s momentary 1-1 was of no use: it is his tenth goal in the league. Atalanta rises to 55 points, two less from the Milan-Roma duo which occupies fourth place.

Zappacosta express

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Turin and Atalanta respected each other a lot in the first half. Coaches trained in the same school (obviously Juric and Gasperini), identical tactical structures (3-4-2-1), mirror settings. The interpretation changed a bit in the first part of the match, because Toro bet slightly more on possession (64% in favour), while Atalanta defended with absolute punctuality, not conceding even a shot to Toro but doing a lot bad on the right wing. In fact, the former Zappacosta took care of unblocking the balance: a couple of buckings in the first minutes had already triggered the alarm bell from the parts of Lazaro and Djidji. But it’s just after half an hour (at 34′) that a percussion from him becomes devastating. In the Bergamo advantage there are at least three mistakes by the grenades: the first is by Linetty, who loses a poisonous ball in midfield, favoring the departure of Zappacosta. Then there is Lazaro who is unable to contain Gasperini’s winger effectively accompanying him into the area. And finally Milinkovic – and it is the most serious mistake of the three – who concedes a goal (Zappacosta does not celebrate) which is never scored at the near post. At the interval, Atalanta took the lead with the only shot of the entire first half.

Sanabria-Zapata

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At the start of the second half, Juric runs for cover: he leaves a dull Karamoh in the shower to launch Vlasic. The Croatian immediately adds electricity to the frontline: in six minutes he is the protagonist of an interesting starting point for Ilic and immediately after him he takes the first shot in the face of Toro, awkwardly intercepted by Sportiello. Gasperini replies after eight minutes with Zapata for Hojlund and Boga for Pasalic. Toro takes more resourcefulness: a left foot from Rodriguez is blocked on the ground by Sportiello (16′). In the half hour the grenade’s deserved draw arrives: Miranchuk unloads a left footed shot that Sportiello does not hold back, Sanabria brings the match to a draw. And so he climbs into double figures: it is his tenth goal in Serie A. And when the game was slipping away, two minutes from the end Schuurs makes the only mistake of what had been an excellent evening up to that moment: slips in the area in front of Zapata who easily finds the 1-2. It’s the three-point shot for Gasperini’s team.