Atalanta Secures 3-2 Victory Against Empoli Thanks To De Ketelaere's Two Goals

Add as a preferred source on Google

Charles De Ketelaere's two goals secured a crucial 3-2 victory for Serie A leaders Atalanta against Empoli, pushing them two points ahead of Napoli. De Ketelaere's decisive goal came in the 86th minute, marking Atalanta's 13th home win this season, the highest among Europe's top five leagues. Despite an early setback, Atalanta managed to turn the game around.

Atalanta initially fell behind when Lorenzo Colombo scored his 10th away league goal of 2024, beating Marco Carnesecchi. However, De Ketelaere equalised just after the half-hour mark with a header from Davide Zappacosta's cross. The team then took the lead in first-half stoppage time through Ademola Lookman, who finished calmly from close range.

Empoli levelled the score in the 57th minute when Sebastiano Esposito converted a penalty after Berat Djimsiti fouled Alberto Grassi in the box. As the match seemed destined for a draw, De Ketelaere struck again, weaving into the area and firing a low shot into the net to secure victory for Atalanta.

Gian Piero Gasperini praised his team's resilience against a strong opponent. "We came back against a team that played well," he told Sky Italia. He acknowledged lapses in concentration and a VAR-awarded penalty as reasons for conceding goals but celebrated the win as a significant achievement.

The coach also commended De Ketelaere's performance, highlighting his improved confidence and heading skills. "He gained confidence and improved his heading ability, as he showed today," Gasperini said. He described De Ketelaere's second goal as extraordinary due to its wide position origin.

This season has seen Atalanta excel at their home ground, Gewiss Stadium. They have achieved their best home win tally since 1929-30 with 19 victories and scored their highest number of goals (124) since that same campaign (126). Their current streak includes winning 11 consecutive games for the first time in Serie A history.

Scoring Trio Leading Atalanta

Their success is further bolstered by their formidable attacking trio: Mateo Retegui with 14 goals, Lookman with 12, and De Ketelaere with 10. This makes Atalanta unique in having three players scoring at least ten goals each this season across Europe's top five leagues.

The last two teams to achieve an 11-game winning streak went on to win Serie A—Napoli in 2022-23 and Inter in 2020-21. With such form and talent upfront, Atalanta are dreaming of securing their first Scudetto title.