Atalanta completed a thrilling comeback against Udinese, winning 2-1 to temporarily rise to the top of the Serie A standings with their sixth consecutive victory.
However, their injury woes continued to grow as key players were sidelined during the match.
Coming off an impressive 3-0 win over Napoli and a 2-0 victory in Stuttgart in the Champions League earlier in the week, Atalanta were on a high.
Despite their form, they were missing several key players, including Charles De Ketelaere, Sead Kolasinac, Giorgio Scalvini, and Gianluca Scamacca.
In their place, Lazar Samardzic was handed a starting role against his former club.
Udinese, too, had injury concerns, with Alexis Sanchez, Thomas Kristensen, and Gerard Deulofeu all unavailable, though Isaak Toure returned from suspension.
The match kicked off with a frenetic pace, both teams creating chances early on. Atalanta’s goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, was called into action when he pushed away a cross-shot from Mario Pasalic, but Udinese immediately countered, forcing Marco Carnesecchi into a double save from Sandi Lovric and Keinan Davis.
Atalanta thought they had opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Matteo Ruggeri’s snapshot was parried into the path of Mateo Retegui, who nodded in. However, the goal was ruled out for offside after Ademola Lookman was judged to have been the last touch.
Moments later, Martin Payero came close to scoring, his powerful curler crashing against the crossbar.
Carnesecchi was again forced into action, this time tipping Florian Thauvin’s shot around the near post. In the chaos that followed, Thauvin slipped and collided with Berat Djimsiti, who was subsequently forced to move into defence due to further injury concerns for Atalanta.
Udinese thought they had taken the lead when Davis bundled the ball in, but a push on De Roon in the build-up led to the goal being ruled out, a decision that VAR would have likely overturned if it had been reviewed.
As the game neared the break, a bizarre incident nearly resulted in an own goal when a clearance ricocheted off the legs of Udinese defenders Jaka Bijol and Kamara.
Atalanta also had a great double chance, with Okoye first parrying a header from Odilon Kossounou, then Bijol making a crucial block to deny Retegui’s follow-up.
The deadlock was broken in stoppage time, as Davide Zappacosta, nursing an injury, struggled to keep up with Kamara, who took full advantage.
With acres of space on the left, Kamara unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box, sending the ball into the far top corner and giving Udinese the lead.
The second half saw Thauvin with a double opportunity to extend the lead. His first effort was parried by Carnesecchi, and in the follow-up, he lobbed the ball over the empty net as the goalkeeper anticipated a Davis finish.
Atalanta responded quickly, equalizing with a well-crafted goal. Samardzic started the move, sending a ball across for Raoul Bellanova on the right.
Bellanova’s cross found Mario Pasalic, who fired a clinical shot into the roof of the net from 12 yards, leveling the score at 1-1.
Within five minutes, Atalanta completed their turnaround. Bellanova, again the provider, sent in another cross from the right. This time, Toure attempted a block, but his clearance went horribly wrong, deflecting into his own net and giving Atalanta a 2-1 lead.
The injuries continued to mount for Atalanta, with Djimsiti and Zappacosta both struggling. Nicolò Zaniolo, too, felt a muscular twinge and had to be substituted, leaving the team further depleted.
Despite the setbacks, Atalanta held on to secure the win, continuing their impressive run at the top of Serie A.
