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·21 April 2024

Serie A | Monza 1-2 Atalanta: Dea survive late scare

Charles De Ketelaere and El Bilal Toure gave Atalanta all three points, despite a late Monza comeback with Daniel Maldini’s curler and effort off the upright.

La Dea were fresh from eliminating Liverpool in the Europa League quarter-final and preparing for Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semi-final against Fiorentina, so there was some squad rotation. Giorgio Scalvini was still injured, but Marten de Roon and Davide Zappacosta returned from bans. The hosts missed Dany Mota Carvalho, Jose Machin, Davide Bettella, Gianluca Caprari and suspended Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro.

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Monza almost took the lead in the opening 120 seconds when Alessio Zerbin flashed a low ball across the six-yard box and Kyriakopoulos just failed to get the tap-in at the near post.

At the other end, Sead Kolasinac was denied by Michele Di Gregorio in a rare solo run forward and Ademola Lookman fired the rebound over, then El Bilal Toure in his first Serie A start steered a free header off target from Emil Holm’s cross.

Warren Bondo did just enough to stop Charles De Ketelaere turning him in the penalty area and Lookman failed to finish the move, then Toure’s first touch on a De Ketelaere assist was heavy.

Holm went off with a calf injury and Alessio Zerbin stung Marco Carnesecchi’s gloves from distance, with Andrea Colpani firing the rebound onto the side-netting.

Di Gregorio got down to parry the De Ketelaere drive from the tightest of angles, then the Belgian opened the scoring with a diving header on a Lookman corner, despite being manhandled by Roberto Gagliardini.

After the restart, Di Gregorio was ready when Lookman’s shot went through a defender’s legs to test him at the near post, while Rafael Toloi also went off with muscular issues.

Matteo Pessina fired over from a very promising position after good work from Gagliardini at the by-line, but Atalanta doubled their lead.

It was a well-worked move, as Toure started the run from the centre-circle, spread the ball down to the left and Lookman returned it with a disguised pass off the outside of the boot for Toure to sweep home from 12 yards.

Monza did not give in and Valentin Carboni rolled a dangerous ball across from the left, requiring a double block, above all Marten de Roon on Milan Djuric.

They eventually got their goal when Daniel Maldini cut inside from the left and whipped a right-foot curler into the far bottom corner from outside the area, surprising Carnesecchi.

Monza kept pushing and thought they had equalised with the last kick of the game when Maldini swept with the inside of the right boot from just inside the area, it bounced off the inside of the far post, rolled all the way along the goalline, clipped the other upright and went out.