Roma v Atalanta: the brainteaser

Back on the road after their Champions League night, the Nerazzurri will be off to Rome for the first of their 3 blockbuster clashes scheduled for the opening of December: time to get things going in view of our 2/12 fixture kicking off at 20:45 CET. Brace yourself for our Monday Night in the capitol with the brainteaser for the match.

Considering our latest 10 games in the Capitol, Atalanta are in the lead for...

Despite the hosting side leading the chart for both goals (127 against 66) and victories (41 against 9), if we consider the last 10 matches played at the Olimpico the result is diametrically opposed: the Nerazzurri have overcome the Giallorossi in terms of goals scored (14 against 9) and also in terms of outcome. Roma got three points only once (namely in the narrow 1-0 win clinched on the 2021/22 MD28) and halted the Nerazzurri's streak of 7 consecutive undefeated games. 5 draws complete the picture, with a 1-1 honours even, namely the most recurring outcome, opening and closing the period run.

For a quick brush-up, check the "cliff notes" on our last 10 games in Rome (the Nerazzurri scorers are listed in between brackets):

1. Roma 1-1 Atalanta, 2014/15 Serie A MD31 (Denis);
2. Roma 0-2 Atalanta, 2015/16 Serie A MD14 (Gomez, Denis);
3. Roma 1-1 Atalanta, 2016/17 Serie A MD32 (Kurtic);
4. Roma 1-2 Atalanta, 2017/18 Serie A MD20 Cornelius, de Roon);
5. Roma 3-3 Atalanta, 2018/19 Serie A MD2 (Castagne, 2 Rigoni)
6. Roma 0-2 Atalanta, 2019/20 Serie A MD5 (Zapata, de Roon)
7. Roma 1-1 Atalanta, 2020/21 Serie A MD32 (Zapata);
8. Roma 1-0 Atalanta, 2021/22 Serie A MD28;
9. Roma 0-1 Atalanta, 2022/23 Serie A MD7 (Scalvini);
10. Roma 1-1 Atalanta, 2023/24 Serie A MD19 (Koopmeiners);

What was the outcome of our last Monday Night in Rome?

Out of the 67 games played at the Olimpico stadium thus far, Monday's clash will be but the second-ever late kick-off clash. Contrary to popular belief, you needn't have to resort to an archeology session to bring the aforementioned clash to light.

August 27 2018. As part of the Serie A MD2, the Giallorossi, then coached by Eusebio di Francesco, welcome the Nerazzurri, on the road after ushering in the season with a solid 4-0 win in Bergamo over Frosinone. The match proved itself a galvanising affair since the opening minute(s), as Roma took the lead after 74 seconds thriough a Pastore backheel finish on Under's pass, with the Turkish winger nearing the second in a matter of minutes. Despite the cold shower, Gasperini's men remained unfazed, returning in kind with both Rigoni and Djimisiti having a go from range, with Under's mano-a-mano in between, and a stifling pressing to remain in control of the game. On 19 minutes the Orobic side went on a counter with Castagne who, after setting up the play by igniting Pasalic, pounced on a rebound off the inner post following Zapata's finish after a previous give-and-go between the Colombian and the Croatian. 180 seconds, that's all it took for Atalanta to turn the tables on the hosts courtesy of golden debutant Rigoni, who found the winning tap-in on Zapata's assist to vanquish Olsen. After livening up the black-and-blus sorties, the Rigoni-Pasalic axis struck once again to make it 3-1 on 38 minutes, with the Argentinian completing his brace after a lightning give-and-go with SuperMario.

In the second fraction of the game, the Nerazzurri were forced to shift the contention into a more speculative stance due to Florenzi's goal, who pulled one back on 60 minutes, whilst aiming to bite back through Rigoni and Zapata. The hosts levelled on 82 minutes through Manolas in a corner-kick situation. Despite a boisterous ending, rich in chances from both sides, the stalemate reigned supreme until the final whistle, also thanks to Castagne's miracle save. What was the scoreboard, then? A 3-3 draw!

When did our first Serie A win in Rome occur?

As stated above, Atalanta have racked up 9 wins along the Tiber banks, the half of which claimed during the past decades. When did our first Serie A win in the Capitol occur? To find your answer, you ought to travel back to the 1949-1950 Serie A MD31. Held on April 9 1950 at the then Flaminio stadium, the match saw Varglien's Nerazzurri vie Bernardini's Giallorossi. What about the outcome? An emphatic 3-1 win for the visitors courtesy of Fabbri's brave and Caprile in the closing minutes of the game.

To the following campaign's (1950-1951) MD13 dates our first-ever draw in Rome instead: namely, a riveting 3-3 draw with Hansen (another brace) and Soerensen scoring for the visitors.

In the 1928/29 and 1937/38 cycles respectively occurred our first-ever matchup (namely the MD13 of the former Divisione Nazionale) and our maiden Serie A clash (MD21), with the home side running out winners on both occasions.