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“Atalanta” and “Ajax” gave a spectacular fight, which deservedly ended in a draw (2: 2). The Amsterdam players had a strong first half, taking a two-goal lead thanks to the astonishing performance of Lassina Traore, for whom this match was their first at the base of the Champions League. “Bergamaski” left his answer for the second half. At this point, the main figure was already “Atalanta” center forward Duvan Zapata, who scored a double.
Both mentors from the opening minutes launched very daring lineups. Gian-Piero Gasperini relied on experience and teamwork: ahead of Zapata, Josip Ilicic and Papu Gomez were the company, as expected, leaving Malinovsky on the bench. Otherwise, only the choice of Mario Pashalich in midfield raised doubts, but in the absence of De Ron, this was the most reliable option. At the same time, Erik ten Hag was not afraid to conduct experiments, which was justified during the match. On the last day of the Eredivisie, “Ajax” beat “Venlo” (13: 0), and the 19-year-old Traore stood out, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists. The mentor did not put the young forward after such a performance, giving him a place in the center of attack for the game with Atalanta. At the same time, Tadic sank to midfield, where he created alongside the equally attacking Gravenberch. This pair was essentially backed by the only destroyer in midfield, Davey Claassen. Daley Blind returned to center defense.
Ten Haga’s courage paid off in the first half. After a 15-minute swing, the teams gradually began to play more actively. Both teams had chances, but Ajax was preferable in the first half, which resulted in two goals scored. Both balls went to Traore. In the 30th minute, the young forward earned a penalty. For whatever reason, Gosens entered an aggressive selection in a not particularly dangerous situation, striking his foot on Traore’s chest in his own penalty area. The verdict was confidently implemented by Dusan Tadic. And after another 8 minutes, the Burkinabe prodigy had already personally scored his first Champions League goal. After a lumbago from Neres on the left wing, Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello played uncertainly at the start, and Traore immediately finished the ball in the goal.
In the second part, “Atalanta” came out with a completely different spirit. The “Bergamasks” immediately rushed to the attack, not afraid to leave large spaces. And again the same scenario as in the first half: a 15-minute double-edged stage, this time “Atalanta” was preferable, but he didn’t play enough for two goals, like “Ajax” in the first. This time Duvan Zapata shone. First, the Colombian turned Papa Gómez’s brilliant serve from a header into a goal, after which he confidently nailed the ball into the corner of the goal after going out on his own (For some reason, Onana did not reduce the angle of the shot, staying on the goal line).
After equalizing the score, both teams began to play much more carefully. However, Gasperini decided the final round 12 minutes before the end of regulation time, refreshing the attack line with the help of Malinovsky and Muriel. The departure of the Ukrainian was controversial. On the one hand, he was active, throwing two long-range punches, the second of which became the most dangerous moment of the final minutes. However, there was enough marriage: there were a couple of bad ball tricks and even a failed selection attempt at the end of the match, which brought not only a yellow card, but also an injury for one of the most brilliant prodigies of “Ajax” Anthony.
As a result, the match ended in a logical draw. Over the course of the game, the teams alternately handed out successful segments, but there was no clear dominance on either side. At the same time, both Atalanta and Ajax left the defense through a pass throughout the game and tried to pressure each other across the field, proving once again that it is not necessary to be a top club to play with courage, spectacularity. and quality. …
Champions League Group D
Bergamo, Athletics Stadium Azzurri d’Italia
Atalanta – Ajax 2: 2
Goals: Zapata (54, 60) – Tadic (30, pen), Traore (38)
Atalanta: Sportiello – Jimcity, Romero, Toloi – Gosens, Freiler, Pashalich, Hatebur – Gomez (Muriel, 78), Ilicic (Malinovsky, 78) – Zapata
Ajax: Onana – Taliafico, Blind, Shurs, Mazraui (Klaiber, 56) – Gravenberg, Klaassen, Tadic – Neres (Promes, 69), Traore, Anthony (Labiad, 90 + 3)
Warnings: Ilicic, Jimcity, Malinovsky – Traore, Klaassen
