Atalanta v Torino: the brain-teaser

Having put the Champions League struggles behind, at least for now, the match against Torino will not only kick off a jam-packed February for the Nerazzurri, who’ll be juggling all three competitions in quick succession, but it will also serve as a turning point from one cup ( the UCL) to another (the Coppa Italia). As we gear up for the encounter with the Granata, it’s time to "take the bull by the horns" with our pre-match quiz!

What links all the previous Saturday matches played in Bergamo?

The match on February 1st at 18:00 will mark the 5th-ever Saturday showdown between the two clubs in Bergamo. While this is a rare occurrence since Atalanta v Torino games are traditionally a Sunday event (54 out of 66 total encounters in Bergamo were in fact played on Sundays), this string of game are linked by a numerical common thread. What is it?

If you were thinking “no multiple goals," this option would be contradicted by a brace from the current match's historic top scorer, Cristiano Doni (who hit twice in the 2002/03 Serie A MD30).Similarly, the answer "all played in the second half of the season" would not be valid, as one of the four matches in question, specifically from 2005/06 Serie B was played on Week 5.

Now, to the crux of the matter: what makes these 4 home games unique is their perfect numerical balance—both in terms of victories (1 for each team, with 2 draws at the start and end) and goals scored (8 for each side).

Here’s the quick summary of our Saturday Orobic quartet (with Atalanta’s goal scorers in parentheses):

1. Atalanta 2-2 Torino, 2002/03 Serie A MD30 (2 Doni);
2. Atalanta 2-1 Torino, 2005/06 Serie B MD5 (Ventola, Loria);
3. Atalanta 1-2 Torino, 2014/15 Serie A MD29 (Pinilla);
4. Atalanta 3-3 Torino, 2020/21 Serie A MD21(Muriel, Ilicic, Gosens).

Here are the highlights from our most recent sbbatical clash with Torino!

Did Gasperini clinch his first Serie A win as Atalanta’s coach against Torino?

2016/17 season. After ushering in the campaign in front of their home crowd with a 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Cremonese, Atalanta saw themselves approach the 3rd Serie A round coming from two back-to-back defeats and on the lookout to return to winning ways by claiming their first Serie A triumph of the season roughly one month after their latest victory (namely's Gasperini's ever first win at the helm of the Orobic outfit).

Despite a solid start in the cup, Atalanta struggled to hit the ground running in Serie A, showing signs of promise but still needing time to get fully up to speed with Gasperini's style. The main bright spot during this period was Franck Kessié, who quickly became the team’s driving force and top scorer with 4 goals (including a brace in the season opener against Lazio and a goal to break the deadlock at the Ferraris in round two).

Forth came the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium, playing host to the Sunday September 11 showdown opposing the Nerazzurri of a debuting Gasperini and the Maroon visitors.

Atalanta came out of the gates firing, controlling the game and dodging Torino’s high press whilst created several chances through a dazzling Kessié, who nearly broke the deadlock on several occasions: on 20 minutes his shot got parried by Hart; in the 28th minute he finalized wide on d'Alessandro's cross and then in the 49th he volleyed Gomez's ball out.

Though Atalanta had the first chance in the second half, Torino drew first blood in the 54th minute with a curling free-kick from Iago Falque. Nonetheless, Atalanta responded quickly, equalizing just 2 minutes later through Masiello. In the 71st minute, substitute Grassi almost put Atalanta ahead with a stunning volley, but the ball sailed high, while Sportiello then stepped up to the plate, saving a shot from Boyé and later denying Iago Falque from long range. The winner came in the 87th minute: Gomez danced around De Silvestri in the box and was fouled, winning a penalty. Kessié stepped up, calmly placing the ball in the bottom left corner as Hart dived the other way, to give Atalanta a 2-1 victory, marking Gasperini's first three points in charge.

Gian Piero Gasperini, on the sidelines during the match against Torino.

When did the last home match with fewer than 3 goals scored occur?

Whether played at home or away, games against Torino often go hand in hand with goal bonanzas: to put it in perspective, if we look at our 11 last games overall (namely, since the last game registering a accumulated goal tally of under 3 nets) the overall average stands at a striking 4.64 goals per match, proof that sparks really fly when the black-and-blue and maroon banners happen to cross paths (and viceversa). Breaking down the aggregate, home games average 5.2 goals, while away games come in at 4.16.

So, when did the last match with fewer than 3 goals happen?

The answer is the same for both home and away: the 2018/19 season. While the first match (MD6) ended in a goalless 0-0 draw in Bergamo, Torino won the return leg (MD25) 2-0.

As usual, here’s the rundown of the matches and the highlights from our most recent home game against Torino for a quick "recap"!

1. Atalanta 2-3 Torino, 2019/20 Serie A MD2 (2 Zapata);
2. Atalanta 3-3 Torino, 2020/21 Serie A MD21 (Muriel, Ilicic, Gosens);
3. Atalanta 4-4 Torino, 2021/22 Serie A MD20 (Muriel, de Roon, Pašalić);
4. Atalanta 3-1 Torino, 2022/23 Serie A MD4 (3 Koopmeiners);
5. Atalanta 3-0 Torino, 2023/24 Serie A MD38 (Scamacca, Lookman, Pašalić).