After imposing themselves 2-1 over Sporting CP, Atalanta qualified for the second time in their history to the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals after their previous bid in 2022. Also, in the event of making no distinction with the UEFA Cup, the UEL’s previous naming, it would be Atalanta’s third entry in the Final-8 of Europe’s cadet trophy.

As pointed out by Opta Facts’ Stats Perform, for the first time in its history, the Club has reached an unbeaten tally of 8 consecutive European games. Additionally, the Nerazzurri are yet to know defeat in the current UEFA Europa League campaign.

While the match-breaking goal was scored by Gianluca Scamacca, currently on a spree having found his scoring way in his last 3 UEL caps, oddly enough with three back-to-back nets against the same opponent, Sporting CP; it was Ademola Lookman who levelled the score with a lightning equaliser seconds after the beginning of the second half: by stopping the clock at 45:36, Mola scored Atalanta’s fastest goal since the opening of the second game period in a major European competition (thus considering the UEFA Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League). Additionally, last night’s goal marked Lookman’s international scoring debut with Atalanta – but not his absolute first, having already hit the Europa League before in his Everton days.

Closing off with Marten de Roon, with the Gewiss Stadium game being his 332nd Atalanta overall appearance, the Oranje midfielder has thus surpassed Valter Bonacina (331) and has officially become the second-most capped Atalantino, only behind record-holder Gianpaolo Bellini with 435 appearances. Having skippered his team to victory in a key European knockout, MdR, could not ask for a better way to become the second most-capped Atalantino of all time.