Atalanta-Salernitana 8-2: goals from Lookman, Hojlund, Boga and Scalvini

From our correspondent Andrea Elefante

January 15th
– Bergamo

The shock force of Atalanta collides with the presumption (in Nicola’s choices) and the laxity of Salernitana and the result is a sensational 8-2 which relaunches Atalanta’s European ambitions, just on the eve of the match against Juve (from but playing without the suspended Koopmeiners) and makes the grenade club reflect on the coach’s work and his future. Gasperini pampers his offensive arsenal: Hojlund overwhelming, Boga found again with goals and assists, brace for Lookman and also good signals from Zapata. Plus goals from Koopmeiners, Ederson and Zortea: rediscovered flashes of the team that overwhelmed their opponents. Finally also at home.

THE CHOICES

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Gasperini confirms the defensive line and the two Dutchmen (De Roon and Koopmeiners) although both distrusted, prefers Zappacosta to Hateboer with Ruggeri confirmed on the left (four of the last five as owner, he is the third in a row), but up front he raises the offensive rate by fielding also Boga, together with Lookman and Hojlund, in a 3-4-3. Nicola replies with the same attitude, widening Vilhena to the right, to “accompany” Dia and Piatek: the excluded one is Bonazzoli. Few choices in defense: the coach doesn’t have Daniliuc and Bronn, he doesn’t risk Gyomber, so with Fazio there are the ex Lovato and Pirola, who will suffer a lot, but no more than the expert centre-back.

FIRST HALF

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The bad evening for Salernitana materializes after just five minutes, when Boga invents a dribble of his own, sows three (the second with a rebound) and converges for the shot, deflected by Pirola. Downhill game, the Goddess almost immediately does everything to complicate it and on a long postponement from Ochoa, Piatek makes the side for Dia, who takes advantage of a bewilderment by Toloi to score the 1-1. But it’s not the usual Atalanta that feels the pinch and needs the first part of Ochoa’s usual show to postpone the 2-1: the Mexican goalkeeper had already said no with his foot to Koopmeiners’ 2-0, in the 12th minute he denied it to Lookman and then also to Boga, who had headed but on play spoiled by offside. But at that point the storm broke out Hojlund, who had already claimed a penalty for a foul by Fazio and within 20′ takes two, harassing the unfortunate Argentine, who never keeps it. The first was made by Lookman, but with a defective shot and almost rejected by Ochoa, the second was missed by Koopmeiners, who however made up for it by scoring the 4-1 after being rejected by the goalkeeper. In the meantime Atalanta had already extended in the 23rd minute, following a very short corner from Koopmeiners and a header from Scalvini to burn Coulibaly. But the possessed Hojlund was not satisfied by the two penalties obtained and also a little annoyed by Ochoa’s save – again – in the 28th minute, which had denied him personal joy. Thus, following a throw from De Roon, in the 41st minute he made a good forty meters of pitch, first melee and then burning Fazio, and then making it 5-1 with a grazing left foot on the other post.

SECOND HALF

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It is of little use to Nicola to change the set-up a bit by bringing Vilhena back to thicken the midfield. A jolt with escape from Dia on whose invitation Piatek does not arrive by a whisker, then Lookman extends further with a right-footed stone (9th goal in the league) and the avalanche continues to overwhelm, not caring about the 6-2 scored by Nicolussi Caviglia, again activated by God. The last two goals are from the former Ederson who places at the crossroads and does not rejoice and from Zortea, on an assist from Zapata, with a quality swerve. And the non-goal didn’t come just because the crossbar denied the 9-2 to Koopmeiners’ angry left foot. But Salernitana was already ideally under the clove of its fans, apologizing.