How Scamacca shot Atalanta to top spot of Europa League group
Gianluca Scamacca scored a scorcher that was cancelled out by Marcus Edwards and the woodwork denied Sporting CP, as a draw guarantees Atalanta take top spot in the Europa League group.
La Dea were already sure of qualification, but needed a point to guarantee top spot and therefore avoiding the play-offs. Charles De Ketelaere joined Rafael Toloi, Jose Luis Palomino, Davide Zappacosta and El Bilal Toure on the treatment table, while Ivan Fresneda and Daniel Bragança didn’t make the trip. Marcus Edwards was on the bench after being in a car crash this week.
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Gianluca Scamacca had the ball in the net after six minutes on an Ademola Lookman through ball, but had just wandered offside.
Sporting had a huge opportunity when Viktor Gyokeres spun Berat Djimsiti and cut inside Sead Kolasinac for a shot that skimmed the base of the far post.
Scamacca did successfully spring the offside trap on the Teun Koopmeiners pass and made it stick with a right-foot screamer from 20 metres out that bent back Antonio Adan’s glove.
Pedro Goncalves was sent clear on goal by Gyokeres, but horribly wasted the opportunity with a weak dinked finish that was like a back-pass to Juan Musso.
Both sides wasted big chances straight after the restart, Marcus Edwards denied from close range by Musso and Scamacca firing wide of an open goal when Ederson rolled across, as he insisted on getting it onto his right foot.
Edwards did equalise moments later with a well-worked move, completing the give and go with Gyokeres to beat Musso one-on-one.
Ederson’s angled drive flashed just past the far post, but none of his teammates making the run to meet it.
Pedro Goncalves was extraordinarily unlucky on 67 minutes, as his finish from an Edwards assist beat Musso, bounced off the inside of the upright, rolled along the line and back out off the other post.
There was a bizarre moment when Atalanta replaced Koopmeiners with Aleksei Miranchuk by mistake. It seems the fourth official was handed the wrong number, but because Miranchuk had already set foot on the pitch before the error was spotted, it was too late to change.
Pedro Goncalves missed another absolutely huge opportunity when he sprung the offside trap and beat the on-rushing Musso only to prod wide of the far post.
Miranchuk curled wide and then forced a save out of the goalkeeper, while Kolasinac limped off with a calf problem.