First three points on the road: U23s beat Sambenedettese 3-2

Atalanta U23s claimed their first away win of the season with an excellent performance at the Riviera delle Palme, beating Sambenedettese 3-2.

An impressive Under-23s side dominated the first half and created a host of chances. The first dangerous effort came in the 8th minute, when De Nipoti cut inside at the end of a solo run and tried his luck with his left foot, only to see his shot deflected behind for a corner. In the 22nd minute, the Nerazzurri went agonisingly close to taking the lead as Ghislandi met Idele’s cross from the right on the volley and struck the post. A minute later came another eye-catching move: De Nipoti beat his man and found Diao, who attempted to steer the ball towards goal with a backheel. The move opened up a chance for Levak, who was unable to make it count. In the 24th minute, Bonanomi was played through on goal, but the number 10’s effort was comfortably saved by Krapikas. The breakthrough arrived in the 27th minute. Following an effort from De Nipoti, the ball fell to Levak on the edge of the box, and the Nerazzurri midfielder pounced on the rebound and struck it first time into the top corner. Sambenedettese’s only clear opportunity of the half came in the 40th minute from a Perrotta free-kick, which Anelli was alert to keep out.

The hosts made the brighter start to the second half and found a temporary equaliser in the 47th minute through Camigliano, who made the most of a goalmouth scramble following a corner. Diao restored the Nerazzurri’s lead in the 58th minute with a superb display of pace: the number 29 broke from midfield on the counter, raced clear of the opposition and kept his composure to beat the goalkeeper one-on-one. De Nipoti then grabbed his first goal of the season in the 67th minute, meeting substitute Bertolini’s assist first time to make it 3-1. In the 81st minute, Anelli produced an outstanding save to deny Stabile, but four minutes later the hosts pulled one back through Nicoli, whose left-footed strike from outside the box gave the Nerazzurri goalkeeper no chance.

SAMBENEDETTESE 2-3 ATALANTA U23s

Scorers: Levak 27 (A), Camigliano 47 (S), Diao 54 (A), De Nipoti 67 (A), Nicoli 85 (S)

Sambenedettese: Krapikas; Zini, Faggioli (Stabile 61), Tunjov, Sgarbi, Plicco (Carinelli 90+1), Gigli (Chelli 79), Candellori (C), Perrotta (Marranzino 61), Camigliano, Nicoli. Unused bench: Cultraro, Barraco, Piccoli, Pezzola, De Angelis, Machin, Toure, Buljan, Kosijer. Coach: Rocco Boscaglia.

Atalanta U23s: Anelli; Idele (Guerini 61), Plaia, Pounga, Bonanomi (Bertolini 61), Mirra, Ghislandi (C) (Steffanoni 46), Diao, Bergonzi, Levak (Mencaraglia 75), De Nipoti (Misitano 82). Unused bench: Bugli, Bertini, Simonetto, Manzoni, Isoa, Navarro, Puljić, Camara, Rinaldi, Pedretti. Coach: Nicola Beati.

Referee: Gianluca Guitaldi from Rimini;
Assistant referees: Nicola Di Meo from Nichelino and Daniele De Chirico from Molfetta;
Fourth official: Ciro Aldi from Lanciano;
FVS operator: Stefano Allievi from San Benedetto del Tronto.

Notes: Stoppage time: 3 minutes (1st half), 6 minutes (2nd half); Levak (A), Zini (S), Plaia (A), Sgarbi (S), Candellori (S) booked