Atalanta bulldoze Empoli with a five-goal knockout
Lookman grabs a brace, Retegui scores, Zappacosta nets one, and an own goal
As the 2024/25 Serie A Enilive MD26 sees Atalanta run riot with a commanding 5-0 win, the Nerazzurri seal the Castellani-Computer Gross Arena deal in spades and climb to 54 points in the standings.
A blistering onset for the Nerazzurri, coming out the gate firing and nearly finding the back of the net with early efforts from Bellanova Zappacosta and Djimsiti. Empoli tried to respond with Kouamé, whose effort was denied by Carnesecchi. The breakthrough came in the 27th when Zappacosta's left-footed trivela cross shot picked up a deflection off Gyasi and left Silvestri wrong-footed. Pašalić and Posch both came within a whisker of doubling the lead, which eventually came in the 33rd when Retegui pounced on a Djimsiti corner for a close-range finish. On 43 minutes, the Retegui-Lookman connection waved the third of the game: our number 32 set up a slide-rule pass for Ademola, who skipped past the opposing keeper with a boot-sole faint before slotting the ball into an empty net.
Despite Empoli drawing first blood in the second half through a tricky shot for Henderson, it was Lookman who hit the target instead, capitalizing on de Roon's through pass to complete his brace with a left-footed finish in the 54th. On 75 minutes, the fifth goal came as Zappacosta took Pašalić's pass in his stride and slotted a perfect shot past Silvestri. In Empoli, the Nerazzurri walk away with a 5-0 victory.
EMPOLI 0-5 ATALANTA
Scorers: Gyasi own goal 27 (A), Retegui 33 (A), Lookman 43, 54 (A), Zappacosta 75 (A)
Empoli: Silvestri, De Sciglio, Goglichidze, Cacace, Gyasi (Sambia 58), Grassi (Zurkowski 72), Maleh (Kovalenko 83), Pezzella, Esposito (Campaniello 72), Henderson, Kouamé (Colombo 58). Unused bench: Seghetti, Vasquez, Brancolini, Tosto, Bacci, Bembnista, Konate. Coach: Roberto D'Aversa.
Atalanta: Carnesecchi, Posch, Djimsiti (Toloi 64), Kolašinac, Bellanova, de Roon, Pašalić (Brescianini 77), Zappacosta (Ruggeri 86), De Ketelaere (Éderson 64), Retegui, Lookman (Cuadrado 77). Unused bench: Rui Patrício, Rossi, Sulemana, Samardžić, Palestra, Vavassori, Vlahović, Del Lungo. Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini.
Referee: Maurizio Mariani from Aprilia (assistant referee Ciro Carbone from Naples and Giorgio Peretti from Verona, Fourth official Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi from Livorno, V.A.R. Michael Fabbri from Ravenna, A.V.A.R. Francesco Meraviglia from Pistoia).
Notes: Carnesecchi (A) booked.