Atalanta Defeats Chelsea 2-1 As De Ketelaere Scores Late Winner In Champions League Clash

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Charles De Ketelaere's late goal dashed Chelsea's hopes of a top-eight finish in the Champions League. His decisive strike secured Atalanta a 2-1 victory, lifting them to third place in the standings. This win places them eight spots and three points ahead of Enzo Maresca's team, with only two league-phase matches left.

Atalanta had an early chance when Ademola Lookman's shot slipped under Robert Sanchez, but De Ketelaere missed the rebound. Reece James' cross led to Joao Pedro's first-time finish, initially ruled offside before VAR awarded the goal in the 25th minute.

James nearly scored early in the second half, but his shot went wide. Lookman's goal was disallowed for offside soon after. Atalanta equalised in the 55th minute when De Ketelaere set up Gianluca Scamacca for a header past Sanchez.

Scamacca almost gave Atalanta the lead seven minutes later, but Sanchez saved his header. De Ketelaere then scored the winning goal with a deflected shot off Marc Cucurella. Marco Carnesecchi made crucial saves against Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro late in the game.

Chelsea experienced their first defeat after leading at half-time in 41 Champions League matches since September 2013. Scamacca played a key role in this turnaround, contributing to goals in his last three games for Atalanta after struggling earlier.

The match highlighted De Ketelaere's influence as he created three chances, matching Reece James' efforts. Raffaele Palladino believed his team deserved the win, having an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.74 compared to Chelsea's 1.25.