Scamacca-Bernasconi late show fires Atalanta's comeback in Leipzig

At the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Atalanta pulled off an impressive comeback win against RB Leipzig: Jurić’s Nerazzurri turned the game around late on with two stunning goals from Scamacca and Bernasconi. It ends 2-1 in Leipzig, a strong start to Atalanta’s two-match friendly tour in Germany.

The hosts broke the deadlock on 12 minutes with a first-touch volley from Openda following a corner kick situation. One chance apiece followed: while Openda fired wide, Scalvini steered a set-piece delivery off target.

The Nerazzurri threatened immediately after the break, going close to an equaliser through Scalvini, whose close-range flick from a Bellanova corner was denied by Vandevoordt’s quick reflexes. The Red Bulls retaliated shortly after with Banzuzi, whose driven effort from a tight angle forced a save from Carnesecchi. In the 75th, Samardžić went solo and (foot)worked his way into the box, only missing the target by inches. Scamacca then tested the waters on 79 minutes, nodding the ball slightly wide, before Sportiello came to the rescue at the other end and denied Nusa's curling attempt in the 83rd. The equaliser came in the 85th minute, capping off a rapid-fire Nerazzurri move worth telling in full: Sulemana slipped the ball through to Scamacca, who laid it off for Ahanor, whose backheel set Samardžić free, and he found Maldini, who instantly picked out Scamacca again. The No.9 made no mistake, firing a clinical left-footed strike past Gulacsi to level the score at 1-1. The jury was still out, though: in the 90th minute Bernasconi latched onto a defensive clearance following Samardžić’s corner and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike from the edge of the box to give the Nerazzurri the lead. A stunning goal that sealed a 2-1 win away at Leipzig.

The team will enjoy a rest day on Sunday, August 3, before returning to training on Monday afternoon with a closed-door session at the Centro Bortolotti.

RB LEIPZIG 1-2 ATALANTA

Scorers: Openda 12 (RBL), Scamacca 85 (A), Bernasconi 89 (A)

RB Leipzig (1st half): Vandevoordt, Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum, Schlager, Seiwald, Diomande, Bakayoko, Openda, Baumgartner. Bench: Gulacsi, Blaswich, Zingerle, Geertruida, Bitshiabu, Banzuzi, Nusa, Klostermann, Vermeeren, Nedeljikovic, Ouedraogo, Maksimovic, Finkgrafe, Elmas.

RB Lipsia (2nd half): Gulacsi, Nedeljikovic, Geettruida, Bitshiabu, Finkgrafe, Banzuzi, Vermeeren, Ouedraogo, Maksimovic, Elmas, Nusa. Bench: Blaswich, Zingerle, Klostermann. Coach: Ole Werner.

Atalanta: Carnesecchi (Sportiello 65), Kossounou (Godfrey 65), Hien (Djimsiti 65), Scalvini (Ahanor 65), Bellanova (Palestra 65), Éderson (Brescianini 65), De Roon (Sulemana 65), Zappacosta (Bernasconi 65), Pašalić (Samardžić 65), De Ketelaere (Scamacca 65), Kamaldeen (Maldini 65). Unused bench: Rossi, Navarro, El Bilal. Coach: Ivan Jurić.

Referee: Alexander Sather (assistant referees: Johannes Schipke and Eugen Ostrin).

Notes: Kamaldeen (A), Kossounou (A), Baku (RBL) booked