Atalanta BC, inspired by the message “I will be reborn, you will be reborn,” on Sunday brought Serie A back to Bergamo in style following the COVID-19 suspension with a 4-1 victory over US Sassuolo as Inter enjoyed a 2-1 victory over UC Sampdoria.
Bergamo was badly hit by the coronavirus, with the city in the Lombardy region of which Milan is the capital, at the epicenter of the pandemic in Italy.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side hosted rivals Sassuolo behind closed doors at the Gewiss Stadium in a match played in memory of the city’s thousands of victims.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Duvan Zapata scored a brace, Berat Djimsiti was also on target and Sassuolo’s Mehdi Bourabia turned into his own net, before pulling a goal back deep in stoppage-time.
The province of Bergamo suffered 6,000 more deaths than usual during the COVID-19 outbreak, including 670 in Bergamo, which has a population of about 122,000.
During a minute’s silence before the game, players formed a circle, with the backdrop Rinascero, Rinascerai (I will be reborn, you will be reborn), a song composed during lockdown by Roby Facchinetti, a musician from Bergamo.
The club also broadcast on social media a video accompanying the song, in which Atalanta players, Gasperini, doctors and nurses held up the same message.
Before the match, a few supporters gathered around the stadium to welcome the players as they arrived in the team coach.
“We came to support the team, even if we know we can’t get in,” fan Giorgio Arboldi, 50, said. “The passion is so strong.”
Some fans remained opposed to the restart, holding up a banner which read: “Football without fans is not football.”
On the pitch, Atalanta consolidated their hold on the fourth and final UEFA Champions League spot, moving six points ahead of fifth-placed AS Roma.
“It’s a very important victory, when you resume after a long time it is inevitable there will be doubts, but we put them to one side by playing an excellent match that led to a great success, which was also important for our position in the table,” Gasperini said.
Atalanta, who are already through to the Champions League quarter-finals this season, were three goals up at halftime.
Mattia Caldara knocked the ball down for Djimsiti who prodded in on 16 minutes.
Colombian Zapata got the second after half an hour, with Bourabia bundling the ball into his own net minutes later, after two goals ruled out by the video assistant referee, with Gasperini banished to the stands for protesting.
Zapata nodded in his second after an hour, with Bourabia scoring a consolation for Sassuolo with a perfect free-kick in the second minute of stoppage-time.
“The players have a great attachment to the city, nobody left Bergamo and there has always been the belief that sooner or later we would return,” Gasperini said.
Atalanta are six points behind Inter, who beat Sampdoria at San Siro with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, to close to within six points of leaders Juventus.
“When you have the opportunity, you have to kill off the game, but we are six points behind [Juventus] and there are 12 games left in which we will have to give our life,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said.
Lukaku opened the scoring after 10 minutes following good work from Martinez and Christian Eriksen.
The Belgian celebrated his 18th league goal this season by taking the knee and raising his right fist in memory of George Floyd.
Lukaku then powered down the right, pulled the ball back for Antonio Candreva, who crossed for Martinez to added a second after half an hour.
Norwegian midfielder Morten Thorsby finished off a rebound to get a goal back for Sampdoria, who are hovering just above the relegation zone.
Atalanta host second-placed SS Lazio tomorrow, while Inter host Sassuolo.
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