Atalanta v Bologna: the brainteaser

Back-to-back Sunday action at the Gewiss Stadium! The Nerazzurri gear up for their second match in a row at home before heading to the San Siro for their only away game of the month, the Easter trip against AC Milan. But first, time for a high noon (and a half) in Bergamo against Bologna! To whet your appetite ahead of the lunchtime clash with the Felsinei, the main course of the Serie A MD32, here is the pre-match quiz...

How did our latest lunch match in Bergamo go?

As we chomp at the bit in anticipation of Sunday's lunch match, how about kicking this week's brainteaser with a trivia question about our latest (or rather, two most recent) prandial matchups in Bergamo? To date, only two games have kicked off at 12:30 pm in Bergamo, namely two matches that, by a striking twist of fate, share an intriguing trait d'union: the final score, identical down to the last detail!

We're, of course, hinting at, respectively, the 2011/12 MD29 and the 2015/16 Round 30. As mentioned in the opening, the outcome was one and the same on both occasions: namely, a 2-0 win for Atalanta! And now, here goes our usual bonus question for all the Atalanta fans with sharp wits and an iron memory: who were the goal-scorers back in the days?

While "round number 1" bore the signatures of Gabbiadini and Tiribocchi, both finding the back of the net in the second half, in 2016, Atalanta took care of business in the first half, with goals from Papu Gómez and Diamanti.

A 1-1 draw was instead the outcome of the only ever match played on April 13, coincidentally on a Sunday as well, back on the 1996/97 Serie A MD27.

Bologna is the team against whom we’ve earned the most home victories in Serie A

True. On the grounds of the 38 wins out of the 63 encounters across all competitions played in Bergamo to date, against no other opponent, whether from the current Serie A roster or historically, can Atalanta flaunt a better record. Completing the top-5, we have Cagliari (29), followed by the Lazio-Fiorentina (26) and Roma-Hellas Verona (25) double pairs.

Were we to focus on Serie A outcomes alone, though, how would the table shake out? Despite seeing their tally drop to 28, the Felsineans would still sit pretty at the top. However, the same can't be said further down: silver, bronze and wooden spoon we would find, all tied on 23 wins, the two Capitol Clubs and Fiorentina, with the Sampdoria-Napoli duo closing in fast just one victory shy.

1988/89 Serie A, Atalanta 2-0 Bologna, who broke the deadlock?

Sticking with the theme of matches against the Rossoblù during the "Mondonico Era", how about rewinding to Mondo's first "(Black-and-)blue Period"? October 30, 1988, the Serie A round number 4 this time: with the Comunale in Bergamo as lively backdrop, the Nerazzurri secured the third in what would become an impressive 14-match unbeaten run, a streak that would carry on until February 1989.

After a first half's opening largely dictated by Bologna, Atalanta sparked into life on 20 minutes when Stromberg tested Cusin follow a free-kick taken by Prytz. Then came the breakthrough: in the 36th minute, Bonacina picked out Pasciullo between the lines with a pinpoint cross-field ball. A through ball later, Evair slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to put Atalanta ahead 8 minutes before the break.

The visitors came out swining in the second half with Marnonaro threatening twice: first glancing a header over the crossbar from a poli Cross before forcing a top-drawer save from Ferron and seeing his effort parried out for a corner on 63 minutes. Three minutes after the big scare, Evair drew a penalty box fould from Villa, with Prytz stepping up the spot but seeing his effort denied (or rather put off) by the opposing goalie.

Redemption came knocking in the 78th, when the Swede made no mistake the second time around and smashed home the assist from a show-stopping Evair home to make it 2-0 for the Nerazzurri.