In the Crosshairs: Zalewski Fires the SnaiFun GOTM of February

A little bit William Tell, a little bit Cupid, Zalewski takes the February round of SnaiFun’s Goal of the Month contest. With his arrow fired in the victory at the Olimpico, after piercing Lazio’s defense, the Atalanta No. 59 struck straight into the hearts of the fans, who voted him the month’s top scorer, confirming what seems almost like an unwritten rule for the Polish winger: “Zalewski only scores golazos.”

Two, in fact, are his entries in the GOTM yearbook and two high finishes in the final leaderboard: after just narrowly missing out in the super showdown at the start of the season (the August–September mega-contest) with the slalom against Lecce, Zale gifts himself (and the fans) another gem with his second strike of the season.

As an extra stat-packed cherry on top, powered by SnaiFun, of the five goals Nicola has scored in Serie A so far, four have come from outside the box: an 80% strike rate that puts him at the very top among players with at least five goals since March 12, 2023.

Completing the podium are Simone Panada, with his thunderbolt of a tomahawk finish, and one of the driving forces behind Atalanta’s February comebacks (SuperMario aside): Lazar Samardžić!

As always, here are the “exit polls” before we dive into the play-by-play of our four finalists:

Winner: Nikola Zalewski, Lazio 0-2 Atalanta, Serie A Enilive MD25 (45%);

Runner-up: Simone Panada, Foggia 0-1 Atalanta U23s, Serie C Sky Wifi MD27 (26%);

3rd place: Lazar Samardžić, Atalanta 2-1 Napoli, Serie A Enilive MD26 (25%);

4th place: Nicolò Baldo, Sassuolo 1-1 Atalanta, Primavera 1 “Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti” MD25 (4%).

Up next: head over to our Instagram Reels and YouTube highlights to relive the top four goals from February.

4th place: Nicolò Baldo, Sassuolo 1-1 Atalanta, Primavera 1 “Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti” MD25

A “tandem” fourth-place finish for Baldo, as the team’s top scorer under coach Bosi claims February’s wooden spoon thanks to his strike against Sassuolo. While the Atalanta No. 11 unleashed all his predator instincts to put the cherry on top with a poacher’s finish, special mention goes to Mouisse, who pulled off a true bit of magic to deliver the assist for his “goal twin” in Emilia.

As the clock ticked toward the hour mark at Ricci, the Nerazzurri pushed hard to close the deficit and get back on level terms. Looking for a gap, Mouisse sent in a central cross from the edge of the box, but the black-and-green wall held firm. Realizing brute force wouldn’t be enough, the Atalanta No. 32 played it smart: shielding the ball, he reached the byline and, with a dazzling dribble, sent the opposition defense spinning. The follow-up pass to Baldo was perfect — and the striker didn’t hesitate: with a first-time left-footed finish, he found the near post to level the score at 1-1.

3rd place: Lazar Samardžić, Atalanta 2-1 Napoli, Serie A Enilive MD26

Bronze for Laki Samardžić! The November GOTM winner makes the podium with a rare, out-of-the-box finish from the Serbian playmaker. In February’s contest, it’s neither a dazzling dribble nor a thunderbolt from distance, but a movement straight out of a classic No. 9’s playbook, almost a basketball-style putback. Just inches away from the “three-pointer,” to keep the theme going, it’s the winner in the first of the two “Atalanta-made” comebacks that lit up the past month.

After the equaliser from the ever-reliable Pašalić, Atalanta’s pressure keeps mounting until the 81st minute, when, perfectly in line with the leitmotif of this month's contest celebrating the Nerazzurri goalscorers, the unexpected hero delivers the "goal you wouldn't expect". Racing onto Bernasconi’s whipped cross is not one of the usual box predators like Scamacca or Krstović, but Samardžić himself, who takes flight to put wings on Atalanta’s comeback. Rising above Olivera with an imperious leap, the Atalanta No. 10 powers the ball past Milinković-Savić, sealing the strike that topples the reigning champions in Bergamo.

Runner-up: Simone Panada, Foggia 0-1 Atalanta U23, Serie C Sky Wifi MD27

Second time in the Goal of the Month shortlist and a true statement silver for Simone Panada: the Under-23 captain climbs the podium once again, improving on his early-season bronze with the flash of brilliance that lit up the Zaccheria. A true Valentine’s Day gem from the Nerazzurri No. 5, who not only sealed all three points but also kick-started coach Bocchetti’s side on their run of six consecutive positive results.

57th minute: a free kick right on the edge of the box, taken by Panada himself, who floats a teasing ball into the area. The Rossoneri defense manages to clear it at first, but the Atalanta opener is in the air and only delayed by a matter of seconds. The ball falls back to its sender and Panada, completing the full circle, unleashes a ferocious right-footed strike that screams under the crossbar. Perucchini has absolutely no chance.

Winner: Nikola Zalewski, Lazio 0-2 Atalanta, Serie A Enilive MD25

Closing the gold race with another Valentine’s Day stunner, this time it’s Nicola Zalewski stepping into Cupid’s shoes in the Goal of the Month contest, claiming February’s crown thanks to the delightful curling strike that put the result beyond doubt at the Olimpico. It’s the Nerazzurri utility man’s second goal of the season, earning him the February sceptre as he takes over from Marten de Roon to become the second SnaiFun-branded GOTM winner of the campaign.

After Ederson’s ice-cold finish from the penalty spot, who better than a Roman born and bred to put the final seal on the game in the capital? In the 59th minute it is fittingly the Nerazzurri No. 59 who sends the match firmly Atalanta’s way, making it 2-0 for La Dea. Receiving the ball from Bernasconi, Zale opens up his body and curls a sumptuous right-footed effort, a tracer that nestles perfectly into the bottom corner to the left of Provedel.