Atalanta were given a rude awakening by Verona's comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Bergamo, just days after demolishing Liverpool.
La Dea were still buzzing after Thursday's Europa League quarter-final victory at Anfield, crushing Liverpool 3-0, and wanted to bring that enthusiasm and form to Serie A. It was also a big opportunity to close on Bologna and Roma, who had stalled, but Verona knew a point here would take them out of the relegation zone.
Giorgio Scalvini was still injured, with Marten de Roon and Davide Zappacosta suspended. Hellas had Suat Serdar sitting out a ban with Ondrej Duda and Juan Manuel Cruz sidelined.
It took just 13 minutes for Gianluca Scamacca to continue his extraordinary form with a third Serie A game on target. Teun Koopmeiners won it back in midfield and immediately found the striker with a slide-rule pass, Scamacca flicked it up with his left foot and then thumped the right-foot shot on the volley under the bar.
Fantastic against Liverpool and he keeps it going
Gianluca Scamacca with a PEACH of a strike to open the scoring for Atalanta
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Suslov wasted a promising opportunity by scuffing the finish when found by Tijjani Noslin and Atalanta immediately countered to score a second, Scamacca's first-time through ball releasing Ederson into acres of space to beat Lorenzo Montipo one-on-one.
Gianluca Scamacca scores one, then sets one up!
What a move this is from Atalanta
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Koopmeiners fired over from six yards after Charles De Ketelaere flicked on a long throw-in, then Mario Pasalic couldn't keep his finish down from a promising team move.
Montipo got down to palm the Pasalic glancing header off the line and Koopmeiners saw his angled drive flash inches wide of the far post.
It was one-way traffic, Montipo with one strong hand denying the De Ketelaere strike from distance, though Suslov did sting Marco Carnesecchi's gloves from distance.
After the restart, Juan Cabal stung Carnesecchi's gloves with a powerful effort, then Verona got the ball in the net when Noslin found Darko Lazovic on the counter-attack, the finish going through Rafael Toloi's legs to wrong-foot Carnesecchi.
Through the legs of the defender and Darko Lazovic gets one back for Hellas Verona
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Incredibly, Verona completed the comeback four minutes later when Fabien Centonze whipped in a low cross from the right and nobody reacted except Noslin to flick it in from six yards.
In the space of four minutes, Atalanta surrender a two-goal lead to Hellas Verona
Liverpool take notes...
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Aleksei Miranchuk forced a tough save at the near post after combining with Ademola Lookman, while Emil Holm fired over following a well-worked move.
Miranchuk stung Montipo's gloves from distance and on the resulting corner, Isak Hien was fortunate the offside flag went up after he missed a free header.
In stoppages, the goalkeeper also smothered a Miranchuk tap-in from the Koopmeiners roll across.
Atalanta 2-2 Verona
Scamacca 13 (A), Ederson 18 (A), Lazovic 56 (V), Noslin 60 (V)
1st half
2nd half
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