Atalanta hit seven goals for the third time this season in Lecce win

Atalanta hit SEVEN goals for the THIRD time this season as they sweep past Lecce in Serie A and travelling fans are again treated to scoring spectacle

• Atalanta offered their fans a spectacle after netting seven goals against Lecce 
• The Serie A outfit have reached the same tally on three occasions this campaign 
• Roughly 30 fans made the trip to the game during Italy’s coronavirus crisis 
• Duvan Zapata netted a hat-trick for Atalanta, who are fourth in the standings

On a day missing one of Serie A’s biggest matches, Atalanta offered a spectacle of their own for the travelling faithful after routing Lecce 7-2 on Sunday.

Duvan Zapata scored a hat-trick for the visitors, who have now sensationally netted seven on three separate occasions this season.

Lecce had come back from two goals down to make it 2-2 at halftime but Atalanta put on even more of a show after the break. 

Duvan Zapata netted a hat-trick as Atalanta scored seven for the third occasion this season

The notoriously formidable scorers also routed Udinese and Torino after plundering seven goals, and bagged five against AC Milan and Parma to further boost their tally for the campaign.

Atalanta have scored 70 goals in 25 league matches, 10 more than the team with the second-best attack, league leaders Lazio.

‘That makes us even prouder, other than being a decisive factor in helping us turn matches around such as this one,’ Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.

‘Unlike in the first half, the team was good in not losing its concentration after the break. Moreover, those who come off the bench want to score and to show what they can do. That’s where results like this come from.’ 

Gian Piero Gasperini lauded his free-scoring side, who have netted 70 goals in just 25 games

Atalanta opened the scoring in somewhat bizarre fashion in the 17th minute as, under no pressure, Lecce defender Giulio Donati headed a corner into his own net.

Zapata headed in another Atalanta corner five minutes later but Riccardo Saponara pulled one back for Lecce in the 29th minute. Donati then scored at the right end five minutes from halftime to ensure both teams entered the interval on level terms.

However, the floodgates opened after the break as Josip Ilicic restored Atalanta’s lead two minutes after the restart and Zapata scored two in eight minutes to put the result beyond all doubt.

Luis Muriel didn’t celebrate after scoring against his former team three minutes from time, before fellow substitute Ruslan Malinovskyi capped a great day for Atalanta in stoppage time.

Riccardo Saponara pulled one back for Lecce as both teams entered the half-time break level

Zapata’s heroics ensured Atalanta’s travelling supporters were treated to another spectacle

Atalanta are three points above fifth-placed Roma, which won 4-3 at Cagliari in the only other match contested on Sunday. Lecce remain just three points above the relegation zone. 

Despite the biggest clusters of coronavirus infections being in the Lombardy region, where Atalanta is based, fans were allowed to travel to the match in the south.

Atalanta had sold more than 200 tickets but only around 30 fans made the trip, and they had their temperatures taken before entering the stadium by medics wearing protective face masks and gloves.

Five Serie A games scheduled for this weekend were postponed on Saturday in an attempt to contain the spread of a virus outbreak. They included Juventus’ home game on Sunday against Inter Milan.

There have been 34 deaths from the COVID-19 illness in Italy and more than 1,500 people have tested positive, almost all in the country’s north. 

Fans were allowed to travel to the region but their temperatures were taken before the game

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