Atalanta v Milan: the brainteaser

After almost one month "on-the-road", it's time for our much anticipated homecoming. For the second of the three blockbuster clashes in the team's cards for their fiery December onset, the Devil will be knocking on the Gewiss Stadium's doors as the Nerazzurri are called for a Friday Night in on Deecember 2. As always, psych youselves up with our lead-in brain-teaser.

2015/16 Serie A MD31, Atalanta 2-1 Milan: when did Pinilla score?

Let's get this week's issue on the road with an undisputed "blast from the past": and who's better than a Chilean to give a masterclass on a "chilena", Spanish term standing for bicycle kick?

2015/16 Serie A MD31, "Atleti Azzurri d'Italia" stadium in Bergamo: on the lookout for crucial points to stave off relegation, coach Reja's Nerazzurri welcomed Mijahilovic's Milan, back on the road after drawing at home with Lazio.

Off to a bumpy start, Atalanta found themselves into a trailing position 5 minutes into the game due to the penalty awarded to the visitors due to a Stendardo handball following a corner kick. Milan took the temporary lead through Luiz Adriano, who edged past the then Nerazzurro keeper Sportiello just enough to give the Rossoneri the lead. Despite the cold shower, Reja's side wasted no time and retaliated straight away, with the hosts laying the siege and nearing the equaliser in the 7th with Gomez's header on Pinillia's cross, eventually deflected out for a corner by a last-ditch Abate save. The Orobic side equalised on the brink of halftime: after earning a corner kick as Papu's attempt got charged down, in the follow-up Masiello laid the ball off to Pinilla, who then sewed up the equaliser through a technical gesture of undisputed beauty as the Chilean cleaved the bal into the top right corner to Donnarumma's right with his signature move.

In the second half Atalanta doubled on 62 minutes through a jaw-dropping choral display: long pass to Kurtic, who nodded it into the box for de Roon, with the Dutchman playing through for Gomez. Freed from his marker, the Argentinian controled the ball ad libitum and finalized with a snooker shot. In their attempt at getting back in contention, Milan opted for a set-piece biased tactic, as Sportiello gloved Ballotelli's free-kick out on 75 minutes before Cigarini performed a goal-line clearance 60 seconds later to stave off a goalward ricochet ball on Menez's shot.

The Nerazzurri had the last chance of the game, though: going for the touchdown after wrongfooting his markers, sub D'Alessandro found himself mano-a-mano against Donnarumma before being shut down due to an eleventh hour recovery from the opposition.

What about Pinilla's goal, though? The time on the stopwatchread 44th minute**.**

In which season did Milan claim their last “December win" in Bergamo?

To this date, the toll of December home clashes v Milan amounts to 12 and with the last month of the year proving itself a very auspicious time for the Nerazzurri as the ladger sees the hosts upfront in terms of overall wins (5 against the visitors' 2 triumph and the remaining 7 draws there to complete the picture).

Going back to our main question, though: when did Milan last claim a December win in Bergamo? On MD12 of the 1997/98 Serie A whrn Fabio Capello's Milan ran out winners from the then "Atleti Azzurri d'Italia" stadium after imposing themselves 1-2 over Mondonico's side thanks to an untoward Own Goal from Lucarelli on 2 minutes to open the scoring before Kluiviert's second-half goal rained on the Bergamasco comeback initiated by Sgrò on 17 minutes.

As always, for the joy of all our stats buffs out there, here's the "cliff notes" on our last 12 December clashes against Milan in chronological order (the Nerazzurri scorers are listed in between brackets):

1. Atalanta 0-0 Milan, 1942/43 Serie A MD10;
2. Atalanta 4-7 Milan, 1950/51 Serie A MD16 (2 Hansen, AG Silvestri, Soerensen);
3. Atalanta 1-0 Milan, 1951/52 Serie A MD14 (Santagostino);
4. Atalanta 2-2 Milan, 1956/57 Serie A MD10 (Mion, Longoni);
5. Atalanta 1-1 Milan, 1977/78 Serie A MD12 (Bertuzzo);
6. Atalanta 1-1 Milan, 1985/86 Serie A MD15 (Simonini);
7. Atalanta 1-2 Milan, 1997/98 Serie A MD12 (Sgrò);
8. Atalanta 3-2 Milan,1999-2000 Coppa Italia RO16 1st leg (Caccia, 2 Nappi);
9. Atalanta 2-1 Milan, 2000/01 Coppa Italia QF, 2nd leg (Nappi, Doni);
10. Atalanta 1-1 Milan, 2001/02 Serie A MD6 (Sala);
11. Atalanta 5-0 Milan, 2019/20 Serie A MD17 (Gomez, Pašalić, 2 Iličić, Muriel.);
12. Atalanta 3-2 Milan, 2023/24 Serie A MD25 (2 Lookman, Muriel)

Will it be our first homebody Friday Night against the Rossoneri?

Out of the 73 previous encounters played in Bergamo across all competitions (the Club's second highest tally of domestic match-ups, only surpassed by the 75 times we had Juventus over), our December 6 game will mark a "first time" in Atalanta's history: records in fact show that Milan dropping by is usually more of either a Sunday gig (55 games), a Saturday occasion (9 games in total) or a mid-week clash (8 the previous clashes held on a Wednesday across the Serie A and the Coppa Italia) for Atalanta. The roll call is missing the only matchup played on a Thursday; namely, the 1st leg of the 1999-2000 Coppa Italia RO16.