(Football news) Midweek saw Atlanta advance to yet another Coppa Italia semi final, while Juventus soundly defeated Frosinone at the same stage. La Dea will be buoyant afterwards. With their trip to San Siro and their elimination of AC Milan from the Coppa, Atalanta under Gian Piero Gasperini had another thrilling night.
Rafael Leao had given Milan the lead late in the first half, but Teun Koopmeiners earned his team a point shortly after, making history as the man of the hour. He then scored the game-winning penalty. Atalanta has advanced to their fourth semi-final in six years thanks to this victory, matching the number of occurrences they have experienced in their 110-year club history.
It also extended their exceptional recent run of form to six wins in eight matches – with their only dropped points coming in a draw with Roma and a defeat to Bologna, both away from home.
The draw at the Stadio Olimpico came last Sunday, and kept them in the race for the top four, as seven clubs are separated by just six points, and it was Koopmeiners once again who got on the scoresheet for La Dea.
With Atalanta not in action next weekend due to the Supercoppa, it means they have three straight home games to potentially take advantage of, against Frosinone, Udinese and Lazio.
Despite the absence of Ademola Lookman, who has gone to the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria, Gasperini’s other attacking options have risen from the shadows and played a pivotal part in their success in 2024 so far.
With Koopmeiners in great scoring form, Aleksei Miranchuk has also become a prominent figure in the team, scoring twice, setting up another and winning two penalties in three games, while Charles De Ketelaere also has three goals in that time.
Facing a side in such form will be of great concern to Frosinone, who come into the clash as one of the most out-of-form sides in Italy.
