Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman played a starring role, scoring twice as Atalanta thrashed Empoli 5-0 on Sunday, closing the gap on league leaders Inter Milan to just three points.
Despite recent controversy between Lookman and Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini following their Champions League elimination, the Italian handed the Nigerian winger his first start since returning from a knee injury that had kept him sidelined for several weeks.
Atalanta, determined to make amends for their Champions League disappointment, started the game with a high level of intensity. Their efforts paid off in the 28th minute when Emmanuel Quartsin Gyasi’s own goal gave the Italian side a well-deserved lead.
Few minutes later, Mateo Retegui doubled Atalanta’s lead, extending their advantage to 2-0 and just before halftime, Lookman got into the scoresheet, beating the goalkeeper with a nice touch after a precise pass from Retegui, before playing the ball into an unguarded net, giving Atalanta a commanding 3-0 lead going into halftime.
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The second half continued in the same vein, with Atalanta showing no signs of slowing down. A brilliant team move 10 minutes into the second half saw Marten De Roon find Lookman, who drove the ball into the box before firing a low shot into the back of the net.
Davide Zappacosta rounded up the big win for Atalanta, scoring in the 74th minute to increase their lead to 5-0. The goal marked the culmination of a dominant display by Atalanta, who ended their three-game winless run and claimed their first win since February 8th when they also defeated Hellas Verona by the same 5-0 scoreline.
The win took Atalanta up to 54 points in 26 matches, three points behind Inter Milan, who climbed to the top of the table after their 1-0 win against Genoa and Napoli’s 2-1 loss to Como.
The result sets up an intriguing title race, with Atalanta now firmly in the mix. They will hope to continue their title charge as they face Venezia at home on Saturday, looking to build on the momentum generated by their convincing win over Empoli.
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