Honours Even After Four Goal Thriller In Bergamo

It was a highly entertaining game in Bergamo as both sides share the points. Atalanta did well to come back after falling behind twice.

First Half

Fiorentina have been fantastic away from home this season amassing 19 points in ten matches on the road. They started this game with the intentions of continuing their good form as well as stay on course for the Champions League.

The Viola began brightly and they were applying the pressure early on. A nice break from Donadel allowed Ujfalusi to run down the wing and the Czech defender crossed in a delightful ball into the box. Pazzini got their ahead of Rivalta but the Azzurri striker’s header just cleared the bar.

The home side took their time to get into the game as Fiorentina enjoyed plenty of possession. The Nerazzurri looked to be on the back foot and they hardly showed themselves coming forward. Prandelli’s men always looked dangerous on and off the ball and they seemed more likely to score as the first period ticked on.

Atalanta were guilty of giving the ball away on several occasions, Manfredini and Langella looked uncomfortable on the ball and their careless play almost allowed the Viola to punish them. The home side nearly took the lead though against the run of play. Floccari twisted and turned and played in Muslimovic who took a gamble and ran through to beat the offside trap. However the striker fired his effort across goal much to the relief of Frey.

The home side’s chances were few and far between as the Viola stamped their authority on the game. Although they were excellent at coming forward, Fiorentina were not able to find the deadly finishing which would give them a lead. Atalanta seemed happy just to sit back and play on the break but they were also poor in the final third.

Pazzini was the danger man and he gave his side a well deserved lead, Montolivo played a good ball into the striker’s feet and he turned and got his shot under way and it beat Coppola who could only watch the ball cross the line. However the Viola’s lead only lasted a minute as Atalanta got themselves back in the game through Muslimovic who tapped in from close range after latching on to a corner. The Viola seemed to have fallen asleep at the set piece.

The Nerazzurri’s goal seemed to have given them some much needed confidence as the home side came alive after their equaliser. Both sides created plenty of half chances towards the end of the half but the scores stayed level as they went into the break.

Second Half

Fiorentina started where they left off and came out more determined and eager to score. The Viola were excellent at keeping the ball and created some good chances. The best fell to Pazzini but instead of scoring he blasted his effort over the bar. The striker should have scored as the ball fell kindly to him but he scuffed it.

Fiorentina restored their advantage on the hour mark through Semioli. A brilliant three man move involving Pazzini, Ujfalusi and Semioli carved open the Atalanta defence and the striker was able to finish off the cross with a guided header into Coppola’s far post. It was a well deserved goal by the Viola who were dominating the game.

The home side seemed flat and out of ideas and conceding another goal did not help their cause. The Nerazzurri were poor coming forward and the Viola defence looked comfortable at dealing with any threat.

Atalanta tried desperately hard to get back into the fray but bombing forward left them open to counter attacks and the Viola were quite happy to absorb the pressure as the half wore on.

In one final twist Atalanta’s efforts paid off in injury time. It was a remarkable come back by the Nerazzurri. Muslimovic pounced to finish off a fine move. The striker was the fox in the box as he scored a similar goal to his first. It was an easy tap in for the forward as his side fought their way back to take a well deserved point.

Teams

Atalanta(4-4-2): Coppola, Rivalta, Pellegrino, Capelli, Manfredini(Belleri 25), Pinto, De Ascentis, Tissone, Langella(Inzaghi 65), Floccari(Paolucci 75), Muslimovic.

Subs: Ivan, Fissore, Belleri, Radovanovic, Padoin, Inzaghi, Paolucci.

Fiorentina(4-3-3): Frey, Ujfalusi, Dainelli, Gamberini, Pasqual, Kuzmanovic(Jorgensen66), Donadel, Montolivo, Santana, Pazzini(Vieri 72), Semioli.

Subs: Avramov, Gobbi, Kroldrup, Jorgensen, Cacia, Papa Waigo, Vieri.

Cards:

Yellow: Tissone(Atalanta), Ujfalusi(Fiorentina), Muslimovic(Atalanta), Langella(Atalanta), Manfredini(Atalanta), De Ascentis(Atalanta)

Goals: Pazzini (Fiorentina 29), Muslimovic (Atalanta 30), Semioli (Fiorentina 60), Muslimovic(Atalanta 90)