Atalanta continued their impressive form with a well-deserved 2-0 Champions League victory away at VfB Stuttgart. Goals from Ademola Lookman and Nicolò Zaniolo sealed the win for the Italian side, who have now extended their unbeaten run across all competitions.
The match began with both teams showing attacking intent. Mario Pasalic came close for Atalanta early on, while Stuttgart’s Roualt missed a golden opportunity from a corner. Atalanta suffered an early setback when Sead Kolasinac was forced off with an injury, replaced by Odilon Kossounou.
The deadlock was broken shortly after halftime when Charles De Ketelaere, a second-half substitute, made an immediate impact. His run down the right flank set up Lookman for a simple tap-in, giving Atalanta the lead.
Stuttgart pushed for an equalizer, with Fuhrich creating a chance that was narrowly defended, while De Ketelaere tested the Stuttgart goalkeeper with a header at the other end. The home side came close again through Stenzel, whose long-range effort just missed the target.
However, it was Atalanta who struck again in the closing stages. A defensive error by Stuttgart’s Rouault allowed Zaniolo to break clear and score his first goal for the club, securing a 2-0 victory for the visitors.
Goals: Lookman 51 (A), Zaniolo 88 (A)
Stuttgart (4-2-3-1): Nübel; Vagnoman, Rouault, Chase (’81’ Stenzel), Mittelstadt; Karazor (74′ Chabot), Stiller; Millot, Undav (55′ Demirovic), Fuhrich (74′ Rieder); El Bilal Touré (’81’ Malanga)
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi; Kolasinac (13′ Kossounou), Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bellanova (’85’ Ruggeri); Pasalic (46′ De Ketelaere); Retegui (69′ Zaniolo), Lookman (’85’ Brescianini).
