26th "Trofeo Bortolotti" to Juventus against resilient Atalanta
Despite Samardžić's standout stunner, visitors edged the match 2-1
Played in front of the ecstatic Bergamo stadium crowd, the "Trofeo Achille e Cesare Bortolotti" saw Atalanta wrap up the preseason by hosting Juventus, who emerged victorious from the XXVI edition of the trophy dedicated to the memory of the two late Atalanta presidents thanks to two late goals.
A lively match from the onset with chances from both contenders lighting up the pitch early on: after Hien tested Di Gregorio in the 6th minute with a headed attempt, the Swede hogged the spotlight two minutes later with a timely undercut to foil Thuram's run on goal. In the 21st, Carnesecchi stepped up to flick Koopmeiners' point-blank attempt behind for the corner. The black-and-blue keeper pulled up the drawbridge once again after 5 minutes with a reach-around save on Yildiz's curler. Then, it was De Ketelaere who upped the ante, forcing a last-ditch save from Di Gregorio after pulling off a sortie down the right flank.
The breakthrough came in the 73rd as David put Juventus upfront with an acrobatic finish. The visitors then doubled their lead on 77 minutes, when substitute Vlahovic slotted the ball past Carnesecchi with a finesse finish. The Nerazzurri pushed until the end and pulled one back on 90 minutes through Samardžić, who skipped past two Bianconeri defenders and beat Di Gregorio with a lovely touch. In the dying minutes of the match, Kamaldeen tested the Juventus goalkeeper with a header - the last chance of the game. Juventus won the trophy 2–1.
After the final whistle, as tradition dictates, the "Valter Polini" and the "Mario Bresciani" awards were conferred to Lorenzo Bernasconi and Kenan Yildiz- respectively, the fairest player of the game and the match's MVP.
The team will now enjoy a two-day rest before resuming training on Tuesday: the build-up to the Serie A Enilive opener against Pisa calls for a morning drill, to be held at the Centro Bortolotti behind closed doors.
ATALANTA 1-2 JUVENTUS
Scorer: David 73 (J), Vlahovic 77 (J), Samardžić 90 (A)
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Kossounou (Scalvini 68), Hien, Djimsiti, Bellanova (Brescianini 84), De Roon, Pašalić, Bernasconi (Zappacosta 68), De Ketelaere (Samardžić 68), Maldini (Brescianini 84), Scamacca (Kamaldeen 59). Unused Bench: Rossi, Sportiello, Vismara, Sulemana, Godfrey, Misitano, Ahanor. Coach: Ivan Jurić.
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Bremer (Rugani 80), Gatti (McKennie 91), Kelly (Kalulu 80), Nico Gonzalez (Joao Mario 74), Koopmeiners, Thuram (Locatelli 74), Cambiaso (Kostic 74), Conceicao (Adzic 80), David (Vlahovic 74), Yildiz (Douglas Luis 91). Unused bench: Pinsoglio, Fuscaldo, Gonzalez, Martinez. Coach: Igor Tudor.
Referee: Giuseppe Collu from Cagliari;
Assistant referees: Luigi Rossi from Rovigo and Davide Moro from Schio;
Fourth official: Kevin Bonacina from Bergamo.
Notes: De Roon (A) booked.