The score ends 0-0, but it’s a party anyway. Especially in the stands, with the white choreography on a blue background “Free to Dream” in the Curva Nord and “Champions of Europe” with the skyline of the city in the brand new south, Bergamo’s football return to the Champions League with the new formula for nothing, or rather for the reaction of the visiting goalkeeper Raya, did not end with a success that it deserved in hindsight.
After missing a penalty with Retegui in the sixth minute of the second half, Atalanta, who made their debut with Cuadrado as a substitute for De Ketelaere on the hour mark, can say that they struggled against Arsenal in the first 20 minutes and after they trapped the biggest rivals in a network of passes, always with a very short team and a high defence, in the long run they had more opportunities to pass and conceded only one in the second half.
The London side, who played with four men in defence with Partey protecting the defence and Havertz as a midfielder behind lone striker Gabriel Jesus, advanced step by step, without rushing to decide the match, through dry and precise passes. The most dangerous was Saka, who returned from the right to the preferred left, and saw his attempt from the penalty line hit a corner by Hein and then saved by Carnesecchi, in the 13th minute, from the free kick he won himself due to a pass from Ederson. Error: The home team’s goalkeeper is also good at passing the ball to the feet of Gabriel Jesus, who was not prepared to clear it from the small area. The Bergamo team, who confirmed their championship victory, struggled to take the lead, with Hein appearing only after a quarter of an hour after the first inactive ball, and a corner kick from Lookman was cleared by Arsenal with Ruggeri calibrating the cross. The Swede’s run was wide, while Martinelli’s pass was high in the 18th minute, and a Rice-Jesus double shot from the left of the penalty area was wasted. One step away from the half-hour mark, set up by a determined phase of possession, was Atalanta’s best chance, with De Ketelaere not finishing well despite excellent back-heel assists from Retegui, author of a superb cut-back inside Gemsetti.
Early in the second half, Partey’s left arm deflected Ederson’s right-footed shot to the left of the penalty area, a penalty confirmed by VAR three minutes later, but Raya was exceptional above all in clearing away Retegui’s subsequent header. The changes begin with Trossard-Jorginho replacing Jesus-Partey and Cuadrado replacing De Ketelaere. Cuadrado himself, coming in from the top left, narrowly missed the target in the 22nd minute, and three minutes later Zaniolo and Bellanova came on for Retegui and Zappacosta, clearly. But Arteta brings on Calafiori and Sterling for Timber and Saka. On 29 minutes, another right-footed shot from Cuadrado, this time wide of the far post, is opened by the dribbling, determined Lookman, who precedes the Londoner’s mistake in shooting, which only rises in front of Carnesecki after Sterling’s shot. Saliba cornered Lookman before he left the pitch with Ruggeri in place of Samardzic and Pasalic, but that’s how it ended, with Zaniolo winning a fourth corner and some regret.
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