Atalanta came into form as the in-form team in Italy, and possibly all of Europe, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s men full of confidence, and after the 3-0 demolition of league leaders SSC Napoli, the hosts had a wonderful opportunity to equalize with a victory here today.
It was the visitors who had the first genuine chance of the game when Sandi Lovric spotted in the box, but her tamed effort was comfortably recovered through Marco Carnesecchi.
La Dea took heed of that warning and soon gained control of proceedings. The home side had the ball in the back of the net on the quarter-hour, but Ademola Lookman was found to be offside as Mateo Retegui’s header went in off the Nigerian.
Udinese were not there to bow down to the hosts, however, as Keinan Davis shot in the 25th minute, but his goal was also disallowed after the referee penalised the striker for a foul on Martin De Roon before he showed excellent composure to turn and attack.
Kosta Runjaic’s men proved to be a stubborn defensive side for Atalanta to concede as Gasperini’s men failed to score in the first half at home in the league for the second time this season.
Udinese, on the other hand, went into the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a very good shot in extra time from Hassane Kamara, who hammered a hammer from distance to surprise the home fans.
Following the restart, Kamara was proving to be a thorn in the right side of the Atalanta defence, as he powered down the left flank and whipped a ball into the box, which Carnesecchi punched into the path of Florian Thauvin, whose rebound flew inches over the bar.
However, Gasperin’s men never panicked and proceeded to investigate and completely disrupt the festival before the appointed time.
A quick breakaway by La Dea in the 56th minute culminated in a pass from Raoul Bellanova on the edge of the area inserted by Mario Pasalic.
The home side took the lead when Bellanova threw a ball into the danger zone, this time it was Isaak Touré who deflected the ball into his own goal.
After taking the lead, Gasperini’s men were in full control, and though they didn’t threaten to add to their lead, a solid defence never allowed Udinese the opportunity to draw level, as La Dea saw out the victory with comfort. The win sends Atalanta joint-top with Napoli, who travel to Inter Milan later this evening.
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