Atalanta moved back into the Serie A top-four with a comfortable 0-2 win against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome on Wednesday. A clinical strike from Duvan Zapata and last-minute tap in from Marten De Roon gave the visitors their third away win in a row and Paulo Fonseca his first defeat as Roma manager.

Story of the Game

Chris Smalling made his full Roma debut, replacing the suspended Gianluca Mancini at the heart of the defence. The hosts created their first chance in the 9th minute when Aleksandr Kolarov’s free-kick went straight at Pierluigi Gollini’s hands.

Atalanta received their first chance in the 19th minute when Alejandro Gomez’s powerful attempt was saved by Pau Lopez. Edin Dzeko received the first-half’s best chance after being played through by Leonardo Spinazzola, but his shot was superbly kept out by Gollini.

Josep Ilicic remained a lively figure in attack and received his scoring chance in the 35th minute after being found by Gomez’s beautiful lofted cross, but his right-footed shot sailed just wide of the target.

The visitors began the second half on the front foot, with Martin De Roon going close in the 52nd minute when his thunderous attempt was held on by Lopez. Nicolo Zaniolo had the perfect opportunity to put his side ahead in the 58th minute when he expertly skipped past Jose Palomino on the right-wing to venture toward the goal, but even after going past Gollini, his shot was blocked off.

Gomez was being a menace for Roma and caused trouble again in the 64th minute when his fantastic cross to the far post nearly allowed Hans Hateboer to tap in the opener. Four minutes later, the Argentine was at it again with his beautiful cross meeting the onrushing Palomino, who nearly redeemed himself with a header brazing wide.

However, substitute Duvan Zapata made no mistake in the 71st after Gomez intercepted a Roma move to play forward Remo Freuler, who’s lay-off set up the Colombian to blast the ball into the net to give his side the lead. Two minutes later, they almost doubled the lead after Zapata drove forward and played a clever pass to Hateboer, who’s shot blasted over the net.

Roma nearly found the equalizer in the 78th minute when a long-ball into the box initially fell to Dzeko, but Atalanta’s unable to clear his attempt allowed substitute Nikola Kalinic to try tap one in, but Gollini came to their rescue again with a super save.

The visitors had the perfect opportunity to seal the deal in the 87th minute after Hateboer quickly sprinted into the box to find Zapata, who’s attempt skimmed the bar and out. However, Atalanta got the job done in added time when a set-piece was flicked on by Mario Pasilic to Marten De Roon, who tapped into an open goal to get his side all three points.

Takeaways from the game

Gasperini’s substitutions work a treat

Gian Piero Gasperini took a real gamble in keeping star striker Duvan Zapata in the bench, opting for Josep Ilicic as his striker to start the game. That turned out to be a waste as Ilicic barely did anything, but after Zapata was introduced around the hour-mark, everything changed. Suddenly, he found it easy to torment the tired defenders by running at them and drifting into the dangerous areas.

The Colombian scored his fourth goal of the season with an emphatic finish to give his side the lead while creating many others later. Even Pasilic provided the crucial flick for De Roon’s strike, so Gasperini’s impressive game-reading ability was proved yet again with his impactful substitutions.

AS Roma lack the attacking bite

AS Roma were all over the place against the quick-switching style of Atalanta, struggling to get a stronghold in the game. While Smalling had a pretty decent debut(despite the scoreline) by putting in a strong shift defensively, his attackers weren’t that fortunate. There was very little created for the hosts, with Dzeko looked frustrated at the lack of service beyond that one chance.

There was nobody to drive them forward or find exquisite passes like Gomez did for the visitors. On top of that, missing the chances they did get only mounted the frustrations on La Lupa. Roma needs a creative thrust in their attack and this harrowing result must open up Paulo Fonseca’s senses.

Stand-Out Players

Alejandro “Papu” Gomez bossed the whole game with his clever work all around the midfield and attacking line. The Argentine flooded the Roma box with clever lofted passes or through-balls, allowing his attackers to work the defenders and continue pressurizing Lopez. Gomez’s exquisite passes prove how influential he is to Atalanta and why it’s foolish to allow him to dictate a game.

Pierluigi Gollini expertly kept his clean-sheet at Roma, making a series of crucial saves to keep his side in the game. Gollini’s impressive knowledge of when to commit to making challenges helped his case, as he expertly kept out Dzeko and Zaniolo when it was 0-0, giving his side the boost they needed to go all the way.

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