At 22:00 Beijing time on December 12, a match in the 17th round of Serie A began to compete, and Atalanta challenged Verona. Atalanta have won 10, drawn 4 and lost 2 of their first 16 league games. Atalanta have been in pretty good form in the league lately, with a string of winning streaks, including a 2-1 win over Cagliari, a 5-2 win over Spezia, a 1-0 narrow win over Juventus, a 4-0 win over Venice and a 3-2 win over Napoli. It was this wave of winning streaks that allowed Atalanta to rise in the rankings and enter the first group of the championship. However, in the Champions League, Atalanta's performance is difficult to satisfy, only achieving the third place in the group and failing to qualify for the Champions League knockout round. Atalanta's league match against Verona this time, the two sides last season have won and lost each other in two legs. The game was a big test for Atalanta, and As a result, Atalanta won.
In this game, Atalanta lined up in a 343 formation. Musso served as the starting goalkeeper. Jimcidi, De Miral and Rafael Troy paired up at 3 defenders. Pezzella, Kupmenas, De Jongn and Zapa Costa form four defenders. The attacking combination of Passalic, Muriel and Milanchuk joined forces. Zapata, Ilicic and Pesina sit on the bench.
After the start of the game, Atalanta was slower and hotter, and Verona, who played at home, played more aggressively. In the 14th minute, Simeone Jr. turned around and fired a shot from inside the penalty area, which was not strong enough, and the goalkeeper pounced on the side to hold the ball. Three minutes later, Caprari received a cross from his teammate at the edge of the penalty area and shot straight into the far corner, slightly higher. In the 21st minute, Verona scored! Faroney picked the ball into the box, Simeone Jr. stepped forward, shot from a small angle near the bottom line, and the ball went in! Simeone Jr. has been in great form this season, having scored 12 goals.
Trailing Atalanta gradually stepped up its offense. In the 33rd minute, MilanChuk sent a clever heel pass from the front of the penalty area, Andelic directly pumped it, and the ball bounced off the right upright. Three minutes later, Atalanta scored! Pezzella passed the ball to MilanChuk, who dribbled inside and shot low into the far corner and the ball went in! Both sides returned to the same running line. At the end of the half, the two sides played in a 1-1 draw. Atalanta had 47% of the ball in the first half, 2 of 6 shots on target, and scored 1 goal. Verona scored 11 shots on goal in the first half, 3 on target, and also scored 1 goal.
In the second half, Atalanta made a substitution, Hartbauer came off the bench to replace Zapa Costa. The scene has not changed. Gasperini continued to make substitutions in the 55th minute, with Zapata and Ilicic coming on as substitutes. Four minutes later, Ilicic made a steal, he sent the ball straight in, de Miral stepped in and fired a shot that was blocked by the striking goalkeeper. In the 61st minute, Atalanta scored again! Kupmenas volleyed the ball into the air after stopping the ball on his chest 22 meters from the goal, and the ball went in! Atalanta rebounded! In the end, Atalanta beat Verona 2-1. The 63-year-old coach Gasperini is a god, and Atalanta has won six consecutive league games and thrown Juve by 9 points.