February 04, (THEWILL) – Sassuolo secured an unexpected victory over Atalanta in a controversial match that saw Joakim Maehle receive a red card after just 30 minutes and Atalanta finish the game with nine players.
The Neroverdi were on a disastrous run of two points from eight games before their shock 5-2 victory over Milan. On the other hand, Atalanta, who were enjoying a fine vein of form had been rocked by a lone goal loss to Inter Milan coming into this fixture.
New Sassuolo signing, Nadir Zortea, made his debut against his former club and it was until the 55th minute, with the hostilities of the second half underway that Armand Laurienté’s right-foot strike broke the deadlock.
Atalanta’s hitherto strong run had seen them amass 11 points from five matches and scored 17 with forward Ademola Lookman providing goals to see them remain in the top half of the standings, but the loss of key players Jose Luis Palomino and Davide Zappacosta had an impact on the match. Despite fighting back, they were unable to find a goal and Sassuolo held firm for their second consecutive victory.
The game was further marred by the sending off of Luis Muriel deep into stoppages for dissent, adding to Atalanta’s woes. The loss means that both Maehle and Muriel will be suspended for their next match against Lazio.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
