We will play in the Europa League next season! Atalanta secured fifth place in the standings thanks to the 5-2 victory over Monza clinched at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo on matchday 38 of the 2022-2023 Serie A TIM; a success sealed at the end of a goal-ridden game full of emotions.
The first chance of the game was created by Koopmeiners in the 4th minute, as he intercepted a pass but his angled drive was wide. The visitors responded to it with a Colpani shot that Sportiello parried with a diving save on 7 minutes. Koopmeiners The deadlock was broken in the 12th minute by Koopmeiners himself as the Dutchman nodded in from Mæhle’s cross. Højlund broke twisted and turned on 26 minutes but couldn’t get past Di Gregorio. One minute later, Monza threatened first with a Colpani shot that was beaten away by Sportiello and then through Carlos Augusto, who fired over on the rebound. Koopmeiners doubled Atalanta’s lead in the first minute of injury time after a quick give-and-go with Mæhle, tapping in after Di Gregorio’s save.
The second half opened up with Højlund testing the visiting goalkeeper, but Monza pulled one back on 51 minutes with Colpani’s great shot into the far top corner. Gasperini’s men nearly added a third goal in the 52nd minute when Koopmeiners rolled across for Højlund, who came sliding in but missed the target. Monza went down to 10 men in the 70th minute when Marlon, who had just come on, was sent off. In the 74th minute, Koopmeiners rolled across for Højlund to tap in the 3-1, but the Dutchman wasn’t done yet, as he embellished his evening with a goal that is poised to make history: he was in midfield, saw Di Gregorio off his line and hit a pinpoint lob to make it 4-1. While a Petagna goal shortened the gap two minutes later, Rossi and De Nipoti came off the bench and Muriel added a fifth goal in the 92nd minute assisted by Lookman to settle the score.
ATALANTA 5-2 MONZA
Scorers: Koopmeiners 12, 45+1, 79 (A), Colpani 51 (M), Højlund 74 (A), Petagna 81 (M), Muriel 92 (A).
Atalanta: Sportiello (Rossi 88), Toloi, Djimsiti, Scalvini (Okoli 60), Mæhle, de Roon, Éderson (De Nipoti 88), Zappacosta, Koopmeiners, Pašalić (Lookman 60), Højlund (Muriel 83). Unused bench: Musso, Colombo, Bernasconi, Mendicino, Palestra, Del Lungo, Regonesi. Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini.
Monza: Di Gregorio, Izzo (Marlon 69), Pablo Marì, Caldirola, Ciurria (Antov 81), Rovella, Pessina, Carlos Augusto, Colpani (Birindelli 69), Caprari (Machin 81), Mota Carvalho (Petagna 62). Unused bench: Cragno, Sorrentino, Barberis, Gytkjaer, Valoti, Carboni, Sensi, Ranocchia, D’Alessandro, Vignato. Coach: Raffaele Palladino.
Referee: Marco Di Bello from Brindisi.
Assistant referees: Niccolò Pagliardini from Arezzo and Luigi Rossi from Rovigo.
Fourth official: Marco Serra from Turin.
V.A.R.: Luca Banti from Livorno.
A.V.A.R.: Federico Dionisi from L’Aquila.
Notes: Gasperini (A) sent off on 68, Marlon (M) sent off on 70 minutes; Rovella (M), Izzo (M) and Toloi (A) booked.
