Not only did Zappacosta score an absolute banger, but his goal also served as the opener (with Rasmus Højlund doubling the lead 65 minutes into the game) that set the siege of the Olympic Stadium into motion, with Atalanta ultimately imposing themselves over Lazio.

As his right-footed shot, loosened with the happy medium between curving (enough to lodge itself in the far top corner, to the left of Provedel) and blunt force (sufficient to be tricky to interpret), met the back of the net, Zappacosta’s absolute banger, already enshrined in the records, sent Atalanta’s people altogether in a frenzy: from the Nerazzurri on the pitch and the bench and our unwavering away fans on the stands to all the supporter following us from home, wherever it may be, be it on the TV or the radio, all huddled together in pure elation.

By scoring his first goal thus far this season, Davide Zappacosta also reached two important personal and collective milestones: namely, becoming the 17th Atalanta player to find his scoring ways in the current campaign and, more specifically, the 8th defender in order of appearance to have his name featured in the final scoreboard whilst also augmenting the collective offensive contribution of the rearguard – now amounting to a tally of 10 goals scored out of 41 on aggregate.

Furthermore, Davide’s goal marks the 101st net scored by an Atalanta defender during Gasperini’s tenure: ever since the arrival of the coach from Grugliasco at the helm of the Orobic Club, back in the 2016/17 season, Atalanta can flaunt the most prolific defensive line in the Top 5 European Leagues, leading the standings with a minimum average advantage of 10 goals over any other team.

Statistical source Opta Facts by Stats Perform