By vanquishing Raków Czestochowa 4-0 away, the Nerazzurri have moved up to 14 points, thus securing their grip on the 2023-2024 UEFA Europa League Group D’s top spot even more and closing the first phase of the competition as one of the only two teams (with the latter being Group H’s winners Bayern Leverkusen) undefeated. On a broader perspective, with 8 win and 4 draws to their name, Atalanta are also still unbeaten in the 12 Group Stage clashes played thus far in the UEL. As further underscored by Opta Facts’ Stats Perform, Atalanta have also claimed three clean sheets in their last 6 European clashes, besting their previous record of 3 in 14 matches.

Thanks to the brace scored in Katowice, his second in the current Europa League season after the two goals scored in Graz against Strum, Luis Muriel became Atalanta’s all-time European Top Scorer with 12 goals (having scored 7 times in the Europa League and 5 in the Champions League)  breaking the record of 11 goals previously held by Josip Iličić. The Cafetero striker is also the sole player to have scored two away braces so far this season in either the Champions League, the Europa League or Conference League. Following the same script of his goal against Milan, Muriel’s “wingman” of the night was none other than Aleksey Miranchuk.

The night was marked by ten European debuts: from Marco Carnesecchi, Tommaso Del Lungo, Giovanni Bonfanti,Nadir Zortea and Michel Adopo featuring the starting XI, to  Francesco Rossi, Marco Palestra, Moustapha Cisse, Tommaso De Nipoti and Leonardo Mendicino coming off the bench. Save for Adopo, nine Academy players made their UEL debut in Poland. While Del Lungo, Palestra and Mendicino also earned their First Team appearance, Bonfanti scored the momentary 0-2 goal to further embellish his European night with his first-ever net as a First Team player. Only Giorgio Scalvini (aged 19 years and 298 at the time of his goal against Sporting Lisbona in October) exceeds Bonfanti (aged 20 years and 331 days) in earliness among Atalanta’s European scorers. Lastly, De Nipoti debuted with an assist to Charles De Ketelaere, who celebrated his third goal in all competitions as a Nerazzurro and scored his first one with his foot -having the Belgian headed in his previous two against Sassuolo and again Raków .