Atalanta in Coppa Italia semifinal, Juventus overwhelmed 3-0

It’s Atalanta the second team qualified for the Coppa Italia semifinals. After Inter, victorious Wednesday night 2-1 in Monza with Torino, the Bergamo-based Nerazzurri also advanced to the quarterfinals, imposing themselves 3-0 over Juventus. The Bianconeri started with some initiative and built a couple of dangerous chances in the first half, especially with Conceiçao, stopped, however, first by Carnesecchi and then by the crossbar.

Andrea Gussoni

The key episode came in the 25th minute: Bremer committed a hand foul in the box, the Var intervened and the referee awarded the penalty kick. From the spot, Scamacca was flawless and signed the 1-0 score in the 27th minute. Juventus took the blow and struggled to respond, with the first half ending without another goal. In the second half, Spalletti also inserted former and newly acquired Boga, increasing the pressure in search of an equalizer. However, it was Atalanta that extinguished Juventus’ hopes in the 77th minute: Zappacosta went all the way down the right and put a precise cross to the second post, where Sulemana arrived on time for 2-0.

In the final there was also glory for Pasalic who, who had entered just over a minute before, at the 85th minute kicked his hat-trick with a diagonal right-footed shot that flew past Perin. Atalanta thus flew into the semifinals, where it will face the winner of Lazio-Bologna. At the same time, Ademola Lookman’s adventure with the Atletico Madrid jersey opened in the best possible way. In the 37th minute of the second half of the Copa del Rey match against Betis, with Simeone’s team already ahead 0-2, the former Atalanta striker, who was immediately deployed as a starter, put his seal on the match by signing the third goal.

An all-personal action, ended with a decisive entry into the box and a winning conclusion. A debut enhanced by the goal, just as it happened in 2022 on his first appearance with Atalanta, when he scored against Sampdoria coached then by Giampaolo.

Better still did Karim Benzema. In the last market session, the Frenchman said goodbye to Al Ittihad to join Al Hilal, and Simone Inzaghi immediately threw him into the fray. Choice paid off big time: dream debut in the overwhelming 6-0 win over Al-Okhdood. At 38, he was the absolute dazzler with a hat-trick, opened by a spectacular backheel goal on the half-hour mark and completed by goals in the 60th minute and 64th minute.