Italy international Mateo Retegui stole the show with four goals as Atalanta crushed Hellas Verona 5-0 at the Stadio Bentegodi on Saturday, solidifying their grip on third place in Serie A.
La Dea, who had been struggling with just one victory in their last six league matches and were recently eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Bologna, bounced back in style with a dominant performance.
Serie A’s top scorer, Retegui, was unstoppable, bagging a hat-trick in the first half before adding his fourth goal after the break.
The Italian striker opened the scoring in the 21st minute, pouncing on a rebound after Charles De Ketelaere’s shot hit the post.
Minutes later, Retegui doubled Atalanta’s lead, capitalizing on a pinpoint assist from Berat Djimsiti and taking advantage of Verona’s slack defending.
Ederson made it 3-0 in the 37th minute with an impressive solo run, winning the ball in midfield and curling a shot into the far corner.
Retegui completed his first-half hat-trick just before the interval, finding the net after new signing Stefan Posch struck the post.
While the pace slowed in the second half, Retegui remained clinical. He grabbed his fourth goal with a well-timed volley from a Marten de Roon cross, again exposing Verona’s defensive frailties.
The Italy forward’s season tally now stands at 20 goals in 22 league appearances.
Verona tried to respond late on, but Atalanta’s second-choice goalkeeper Rui Patricio was alert, making a series of saves to preserve the clean sheet.
The Portuguese shot-stopper denied Jackson Tchatchoua, Christian Mosquera, and Nicolas Valentini in quick succession.
With this commanding win, Atalanta head into their upcoming Champions League clash against Club Brugge full of confidence and in excellent form.
