L’Atalanta league leaders in Serie A are not distracted Italian Cup. Strapazza 6-1 the Cesena and flies to the quarter-finals where it will challenge in February (again in Bergamo in a single match) the Bologna. Game without history, also because the Romagna players found themselves two goals down already after 8′ and had, inevitably and unconsciously, already turned their heads to the next delicate championship match in Serie B (the direct play-off clash with Juve Stabia in Campania, scheduled for Sunday).
De Ketelaere, double in the first half
He thought about breaking the deadlock in the 4th minute Zappacosta with a precise diagonal right from the left assisted by Djimsiti. In the 8th minute he doubled the lead De Ketelaere who triangulated at the limit with Retegui and beat Pisseri with a nice right-footed shot. He signed the 3-0 in the 27th minute Samardzic with a left-footed shot assisted by Pasalic, which became uncatchable for Pisseri, thanks to an unfortunate deviation from Pieraccini. Just 7′ later (35′) Atalanta had already dropped the poker, once again with De Ketelaere who finished a splendid team move in the area with a left-footed shot from under range, conceived and finished by Samardzic with the contribution of Retegui.
Samardzic finished with two goals and an assist
In the second half, in the 54th minute, there was also glory for Brescianini who, having come on for just 2′ in place of Pasalic, found himself unmarked in the area on a free kick quickly taken by De Roon for Toloi who first freed his teammate from the edge to shoot. Atalanta didn’t stop and in the 71st minute they also scored their 6th goal, again with Samardzic who, served by another substitute, Zaniolo, beat Pisseri with a strong right-footed shot to the near post. Now humiliated, Cesena had the satisfaction of scoring at least the winning goal in the 90th minute thanks to two substitutes: Francesconi triggered the counterattack Jesse who, with a precise diagonal right, surpassed Francesco Rossi, who came on at the end in place of Rui Patricio.
IAtalanta-Cesena scoreboard
Atalanta 6 (4′ pt Zappacosta, 8′ pt and 35′ pt De Ketelaere, 27′ pt and 26′ st Samardzic, 9′ st Brescianini)
Cesena 1 (45′ st Ceesay)
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Rui Patricio 6 (33′ st Rossi 6) – Toloi 6.5, Hien 6.5 (19′ st Sulemana 6), Djimsiti 6.5 (19′ st Godfrey 6) – Palestra 6.5, De Roon 7, Pasalic 7 (7′ st Brescianini 7) , Zappacosta 7 – Samardzic 8 – De Ketelaere 7.5 (7′ st Zaniolo 6.5), Retegui 6.5. All. Gasperini 7.
Cesena (3-4-2-1): Pisseri 5 – Ciofi 5 (29′ st Curto 6), Piacentini 5, Pieraccini 4.5 – Adamo 5 (37′ st Hraiech sv), Mendicino 5, Bastoni 5 (15′ st Chiarello 5.5), Celia 5 – Tavsan 4.5 (15′ st Francesconi 6), Kargbo 5 (30′ st Ceesay 6.5) – Van Hooijdonk 4.5. All. Mignani 5.
Referee: Perenzoni 6.
Note: Djimsiti, Toloi and Bastoni booked. Spectators 20,234.
