Charles De Ketelaere scored a late goal to secure a 3-2 victory for Atalanta over Empoli, marking the club’s record-extending 11th consecutive win in Serie A and restoring their two-point lead over Napoli.
De Ketelaere netted two goals on Sunday, while Ademola Lookman, the African Player of the Year, contributed the third. Atalanta responded effectively to Napoli’s pressure, which had intensified following their 2-1 victory over Genoa the previous day.
Empoli stunned the home crowd by taking the lead in the 13th minute when forward Lorenzo Colombo capitalized on a quick throw-in that caught Atalanta’s defense off guard. The situation worsened for Atalanta shortly after, as Mateo Retegui left the field with a suspected left thigh injury, prompting Nicolo Zaniolo to substitute in, only to receive a yellow card almost immediately.
Despite the early setback, Atalanta remained composed, with De Ketelaere equalizing with a diving header in the 34th minute. Lookman then scored his ninth league goal of the season just before halftime, converting a cross from De Ketelaere after Zaniolo’s assist.
Sebastiano Esposito pulled one back for Empoli with a penalty awarded after a VAR review for a seemingly innocuous challenge. However, De Ketelaere sealed the win for Atalanta in the 86th minute, firing a shot from the edge of the penalty area into the right corner, despite being surrounded by three defenders.
Atalanta, who won the Europa League last season, has yet to win a Serie A title, with their best finishes being third place on three occasions under coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Juventus Ends Draw Streak
Juventus ended a streak of four consecutive draws with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Monza. Nicolás González scored the decisive goal in the 39th minute, following Samuele Birindelli’s equalizer after Weston McKennie’s opening goal for the visitors.
While Juventus remains the only unbeaten team in the league, they have drawn 10 of their 17 matches and sit nine points behind the leaders. Monza’s defeat marked their 10th consecutive match without a win, dropping them to the bottom of the standings.
Roma Finds Form Again
Paulo Dybala starred for Roma, scoring twice and assisting another goal in a commanding 5-0 victory over Parma. He opened the scoring with an early penalty and added another goal early in the second half after capitalizing on a rebound from Alexis Saelemaekers’ shot.
Saelemaekers also found the net with a volley, and Leandro Paredes converted a penalty in the 74th minute after Saelemaekers was fouled. Dybala later assisted Artem Dovbyk to complete the scoring.
Roma, under their third coach of the season, Claudio Ranieri, looked to be regaining their form after back-to-back wins against Lecce and Sporting Braga, despite a setback last weekend with a 2-0 loss to promoted Como.
In other matches on Sunday, Venezia defeated Cagliari 2-1, with Marin Šverko scoring the winner after a determined run through the defense, lifting Venezia off the bottom of the table and three points clear of Monza.
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