Europa League champions Atalanta delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Sturm Graz in Tuesday’s Champions League clash, keeping Gian Piero Gasperini’s side in a strong position to secure a spot in the competition’s top eight.
The Italian side dominated throughout, claiming their first home win of the European campaign. Atalanta’s triumph temporarily elevated them to third place with 14 points, while Sturm Graz, sitting 31st with just three points, are officially out of contention for the knockout stages.
Mateo Retegui opened the scoring in the 12th minute, capitalizing on a defensive error by Sturm. After leading 1-0 at halftime, Atalanta turned up the pressure in the second half. Mario Pasalic doubled the advantage in the 58th minute, followed by Charles De Ketelaere’s close-range effort to make it 3-0 just five minutes later. De Ketelaere then assisted Ademola Lookman for a 90th-minute header, before Marco Brescianini sealed the emphatic win in stoppage time.
The victory comes after Atalanta’s 15-match unbeaten league run was snapped by Napoli on Saturday. With this performance, they’ve regained momentum ahead of their final league phase match against Barcelona on January 29.
Source: Swifteradio.com
