December 30, (THEWILL) – Atalanta earned a 1-0 Serie A victory over Lecce on Saturday, in their final match of 2023, with Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman, netting an excellent second-half winner. The result provides a much-needed boost for La Dea following last week’s disappointing defeat away to Bologna.
Atalanta headed into the game missing several key players due to injury and suspension, including Rafael Toloi, Josē Luis Palomino and Hans Hateboer. There was also disappointment when Giorgio Scalvini pulled out in the warm-up. Lecce themselves had issues, with Lameck Banda and Marin Pongrać absent.
The first half saw chances for both sides, with Gianluca Scamacca and Mohamed Kaba testing the goalkeepers. However, the teams went into halftime locked at 0-0. Shortly after the break, Lecce had the ball in the net through Gabriel Strefezza but it was ruled out for offside.
The deadlock was finally broken just after the hour mark courtesy of a superb solo goal by Lookman. The winger, who is departing shortly on Africa Cup of Nations duty for Nigeria, danced past a defender on the edge of the box before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.
Lecce pushed for an equaliser late on but were denied by some last-ditch defending and a fine save from Marco Carnesecchi. Atalanta held on for a gritty victory to end 2023 on a positive note.
About the Author
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.
