Malinovskyi, goal here and heart in Ukraine: Atalanta flies to the Europa League: 3-0 in Piraeus

Maehle’s third goal from Bergamo in the final of the first half paves the way for the round of 16 of the Europa League, and Atalanta, who overflows thanks to the brace of a Malinovskyi in apprehension for his Ukraine, on the field of Olympiacos repeats the home success in the Europa League playoffs. A tactical victory also for Gasperini, who within the hour of play passes from the false nine, the Ukrainian himself, to the more traditional 3-4-1-2, leaving Boga initially on the bench. The goal of the advantage scored by the Danish international, leading into the corner to put Vaclik under the legs on De Roon’s through ball, came after a slow and reasoned forcing by a team without points due to the defections of Zapata and Muriel. The back and forth between Malinovskyi from outside (free-kick, saved) and Mady Camara (half a meter to the side), between 5 ‘and 7’, is followed by a cloying leitmotif pressing-guest possession against the local throw-in game already seen the first leg, broken only by Malinovskyi’s solitary incursion, this time from the left. Ten minutes from half-time Hateboer called De Roon to the overlap, but the ball inside him was blown to Pasalic by Manolas. The Nerazzurri seem a bit slow in thinking, see Pessina who (38 ‘) launched by Toloi lingers to swerve and ends up catching the Dutch side in backlash: the offside was heralded, but the Brianza had started from his own half. If the first fraction virtually ends with M’Vila’s weak and wide left foot, the second opens with Masouras for Cissé with Pedro Martins’ tack at 4-2-3-1 and the harmless out-of-balance header by Tiquinho Soares (6 ‘). The graft of January Ivorian and Koopmeiners redesign the scheme, so Malinovsky, the protagonist of the day, then, suffocated by the embrace of his teammates, lights up within two minutes, bagging the doubling under seven (22 ‘), and here the author of the goal he exhibits the undershirt with the writing “No war in Ukraine” and repeating from the outside after the insistent action between De Roon and Boga blocked at first by the home wall. For the people of Bergamo it is only the third victory in 2022 after those of January in Udine (on the 9th) and with Venice (on the 12th, in the Italian Cup): a catwalk also for Cittadini, a debutant in Europe after having been in Serie A in Udine. From Monday, against Sampdoria, the run-up to fourth place in the league restarts for the Goddess.