UEL | Atalanta 2-1 Sporting: Scamacca comeback

Football Italia

·14 March 2024

UEL | Atalanta 2-1 Sporting: Scamacca comeback

Atalanta overturned Sporting CP to reach the Europa League quarter-finals thanks to Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca goals.

The first leg ended 1-1 in Lisbon, with La Dea hitting the woodwork three times, so it was winner takes all here. Hidemasa Morita didn’t make the trip due to a fever, with Antonio Adan a long-term absentee. These sides also met in the group stage earlier this season, drawing 1-1 in Bergamo and Atalanta winning 2-1 away from home.

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Gianluca Scamacca fired straight at the goalkeeper after a give and go in the third minute, but Berat Djimsiti saw his header on a corner loop strangely to bounce off the top of the crossbar.

Sead Kolasinac nodded wide from an Emil Holm cross and Scamacca only grazed his head to an Ademola Lookman assist.

Sporting took the lead when Pedro Goncalves sprinted forward, completing the give and go with a Viktor Gyokeres back-heel flick to sweep under Juan Musso. However, the talent seemed to pull a muscle during the move and rather than celebrate, collapsed in tears, having to be substituted straight after.

Emil Holm fired straight at the goalkeeper and a big save on Scamacca was futile as the striker had wandered offside anyway.

Just 38 seconds after the restart, Atalanta got back on level terms. Ederson’s cross went past everyone to find Lookman to prod in at the back post, making it 1-1 on the night, 2-2 on aggregate.

It was turned around completely when Scamacca started the run from midfield, spread it to Aleksei Miranchuk down the right and barged his way through defenders to meet the return pass. It was the Italian’s third goal against Sporting in the Europa League this season.

Musso pushed away the Daniel Braganca snapshot and Franco Israel was quick off his line to anticipate Miranchuk on the Lookman slide-rule pass.

Djimsiti made a crucial defensive intervention as Edwards was going clear on goal and preparing to shoot, but Musso was crucial when Paulinho sprung the offside trap only to not get enough power behind the lob, allowing the goalkeeper at full stretch to get his fingertips to it.

Paulinho also should’ve left the cross for Gyokeres behind him in a better position, glancing the header wide.

It was panicked defending in stoppage time, as Musso parried the Nuno Santos angled drive and Edwards failed to make the most of the follow-up.