Atalanta Bergamo – AS Roma: Ranieri’s Fairytale Finish Takes A Vital Blow (2-1)

With AS Roma firmly in the Champions League mix, a win in Bergamo would have put them in the driving seat. However, Atalanta changed the course of the game to secure their own position on the grandest stage.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

A year to the day, Atalanta Bergamo and Roma faced each other in a crucial six-pointer for European spots; the two would meet again with a similar objective.

With time running out on Gian Piero Gasperini in Lombardy, Atalanta would be keen on another Champions League journey. Despite this achievement, it is hard not to be underwhelmed that they had not gone into these last few weeks in the Scudetto race, especially due to Inter’s vast engagements and Napoli still being incapable of fully taking advantage. Atalanta appeared to have sunk into the bloated race for European spots, but three wins in four had them within a victory of qualification. 

Roma was never meant to be in this position. Claudio Ranieri, a Roman by blood, was appointed to give them an honorable conclusion to the season, only for Roma to go on the longest unbeaten run in the top five leagues, which has spanned nineteen games. Ranieri has achieved this in a vintage Ranieri fashion, one-nil victories; another one of those and they would move past Lazio and Juve into that crucial fourth spot.

Gasperini made just the one change from the team that smashed rock-bottom Monza 4 . . .