A man-of-the-match performance from Ademola Lookman helped Atalanta register their first away day success in the UEFA Champions League in five matches, following a 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Veterinarians.
With only a solitary UCL victory since September 2021 – a sequence spanning nine matches (D4, L4) – Atalanta looked assertive on the neutral ground of Gelsenkirchen in search of the game’s opening goal.
That determination was rewarded in the 21st minute as Lookman’s delicious delivery into the danger zone was expertly converted from close range by the marauding Berat Djimsiti.
The visitors came close to doubling that lead soon afterwards as Lazar Samardzic saw his effort redirected around his near post by Dmytro Riznyk for a corner that resulted in nothing for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.
Regarding Shakhtar’s threat on goal, or admittedly a distinctive lack of one, Atalanta number one Marco Carnesecchi remained merely a smiling spectator, similar to the travelling La Dea supporters, as only the crossbar kept out Lookman’s volley.
However, there was nothing to stop last season’s Europa League final hat-trick hero from finding the back of the net in the 44’, as Sead Kolasinac put it on a plate for the Atalanta attacker to sublimely side-foot the ball past Riznyk.
On the winning side in their last meeting nearly five years ago, Atalanta wrapped up another victory of that nature after only three minutes of the second half.
Inexplicably, caught ball-watching at the back post, Pedrinho’s lack of intent allowed Davide Zappacosta to put it on the head of the fast-arriving Raoul Bellanova to celebrate his first goal for La Dea since arriving from Torino in the summer.
Three nearly became four with the visitors’ very next unrelenting attack on goal as Zappacosta beat Riznyk but frustratingly not the paintwork on the left-hand post.
Atalanta’s dominance allowed them to take their foot off the gas for the remainder of the evening, as La Dea picked up their first three-point haul of the 2024/25 UCL in style.
Meanwhile, Shakhtar remain without a victory across their last nine encounters against Italian opposition (L6, D3), leaving the Pitmen needing to drastically improve upon tonight’s underwhelming performance if they are to avoid a seventh successive elimination at the first hurdle of the competition-proper.
