Atalanta trump Sassuolo 4-1 as Zapata nets brace

Duvan Zapata found the back of the net twice which was well complemented by Berat Djimsiti in Atlanta’s 4-1 win in the Italian league.

Milan, June 22: Football resumed in one of the Italian cities hit hardest by the Coronavirus pandemic with a poignant Italian league match as Atalanta gave a muchneeded boost to the residents of Bergamo.

Atalanta beat Sassuolo 4-1 in its first Serie ‘A’ match in 112 days and the first in Bergamo since Feb. 15.

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini who revealed last month that he acquired Covid-19 had vowed before the match to help make the people of Bergamo smile again.

“A first smile. It’s nice to say that we’re back and we have restarted from where we were stopped,” Gasperini said.

Serie ‘A’ has resumed

● this weekend with four catchup matches. There were two on Saturday and title-chasing Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 2-1 in Sunday’s late match.

All matches are being played in empty stadiums. Some fans were outside Atalanta’s Gweiss Stadium and they could be heard chanting against the league’s governing body.

The match was all but over by halftime following strikes from Berat Djimsiti and Duvan Zapata and an own-goal by Sassuolo midfielder Mehdi Bourabia.

Atalanta had also hit the crossbar and had a goal ruled out for handball. Zapata added a second after the break and Atalanta also had penalty appeals waved away on a tight decision by the video assistant referee. Gasperini was so incensed by the decision that he was sent off for dissent.

Bourabia made up for his own-goal by scoring at the right end in stoppage time. Atalanta remained fourth but moved six points above Roma in the fight for the final Champions League spot.

— AP