Atalanta-Sassuolo 5-1: double by Zapata, goal by Pessina, Gosens, Muriel and Chiriches

2021 restarts with two certainties: Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta always wins at the beginning of the year and Roberto De Zerbi’s Sassuolo from Brescia in Bergamo remedies one more goal. At the Gewiss Stadium, the Nerazzurri erase the bitterness over the draw in Bologna by cutting a clear 5-1 to the Emilians and giving the feeling of being in an important growth.

Start

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Gasp confirms the formation given the day before, putting Zapata back in the center of the attack, with Muriel on the bench. In defense there is no Toloi, room for Palomino. In Sassuolo, on the other hand, the Djuricic case explodes: the Serbian does not even go to the bench, after a fight with De Zerbi before the last game of 2020 with Sampdoria. His place in the center of the trio of offensive midfielders behind Caputo is for Traore, while for the midfielder to two the chosen ones are López and Locatelli. Too light a team, the field will say, against the physicality of the Nerazzurri attacks. However, the start of the game from the guests is encouraging and in the first 8 ‘Gollini has to say no twice to the incursions of Muldur and Kyriakopoulos.

Goddess Show

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The first part of the Sassuolo, however, practically ends here, if we exclude a soft shot from Boga easily controlled by Gollini in the 40th minute. The rest is a monologue, not to say a spectacle, with Nerazzurri colors. At 11 ‘Duvan Zapata unblocked the game by taking advantage of a rebound with Chiriches, after Pessina’s pass. Then, in the Consiglio area, occasions begin to fall, inspired by an Ilicic in a state of gratitude and an irrepressible Pessina. The Neroverde goalkeeper responds well to Hateboer, risks capitulating to Locatelli’s friendly touch and saves himself only thanks to the post to the left of Zapata (35 ‘). There are only three left of the at least 5-6 of Atalanta, who just before the break finds the well-deserved double: Ilicic draws football on the right and brushes perfectly for Pessina, who on the fly puts the signature at 2-0 . First goal with the Goddess shirt for the former Verona.

Thrashed

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You expect a reaction of pride from the Emilians and instead the second half begins immediately with the Atalanta trio. Freuler activates Zapata who is not wrong in front of Consiglio. It’s 49 ‘and the game is already frozen. De Zerbi tries to calm the avalanche by inserting Obiang for López and also tries to change front with Defrel for Caputo. But the Goddess is in the steamroller version and at 57 ‘Gosens drops the poker, unusually right, even if it is slightly off. Gasperini also gives minutes to Muriel and Malinovskyi, in the field for Ilicic and Pessina. And the Colombian, as soon as he entered, immediately scored, in another valuable hole by Freuler. Sassuolo jumped in the 75th minute, when Chiriches (perhaps the worst in the field …) found the goal of the flag in the fray. Then the last quarter of an hour of pure academy.