January 08, (THEWILL) – AS Roma and Atalanta played out an entertaining 1-1 draw on Sunday, in the Giallorossi’s first Serie A match of 2024. The result means Roma have only managed to beat Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side just three times in their last 18 meetings.
Roma were looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to 2023, which saw them lose 1-0 to Juventus in their final league game of the year. However, it was Atalanta who struck first when Teun Koopmeiners out-jumped Rick Karsdorp to head in Aleksei Miranchuk’s 8th-minute cross.
Both sides had numerous chances to add to the scoring in a frantic first half. Roma’s Paulo Dybala was guilty of missing a golden opportunity, while Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere forced a good save from Rui Patricio. However, it was Roma who levelled things up before the break after Dybala buried a penalty following a VAR review.
The second half failed to live up to the excitement of the first, with neither side able to find the breakthrough. Atalanta thought they had scored through Gianluca Scamacca, but his header was ruled out for a foul in the build-up. As the game wound down, Roma boss Jose Mourinho was given a straight red card for protesting at the officials following a foul on Romelu Lukaku.
In the end, both teams had to settle for a point apiece. The draw sees Atalanta stay one point and two places above Roma in the 6th and 8th position respectively in the Serie A table.
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.
