De Ketelaere Stars with a Brace as Atalanta Thump Monza, Sending Them Down to Serie B

Atalanta maintained their flawless record against Monza in Serie A, achieving a remarkable sixth consecutive victory in their head-to-head encounters. Thanks to an early double from Charles De Ketelaere, La Dea cruised to a 4-0 win, effectively sealing Monza’s fate for relegation.

What began as a promising start for Monza quickly fell apart when De Ketelaere bewildered Pedro Pereira, effortlessly turning him inside out before slotting the ball past Semuel Pizzignacco with remarkable poise, finally breaking his 16-game dry spell.

This first goal invigorated Atalanta, although Mario Retegui and Ademola Lookman squandered golden opportunities from close range. On the other end, Samuel Birindelli missed a chance when he guided a shot wide of the left post.

Any hopes of a Monza comeback dwindled shortly thereafter when De Ketelaere seized on a disastrous touch from Gaetano Castrovilli, finishing with a crisp strike to double La Dea’s lead and cement their control over the match.

Despite Monza’s attempts to threaten through Gianluca Caprari and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Marco Carnesecchi was equal to the task, producing two vital saves to keep Atalanta in the lead at half-time.

As the second half commenced, Atalanta delivered another blow when Ademola Lookman made a break into the Monza area, connecting with Retegui’s header before calmly finishing Atalanta’s third goal into the near post.

Ederson missed another clear header soon after, with Retegui’s follow-up shot drifting a fraction wide of the right post, forcing the home defence into panic mode.

Monza upped their effort but it proved to be too little, too late as Carnesecchi’s stellar goalkeeping thwarted any aspirations of a comeback. Instead, Atalanta added a fourth goal late in the match, with Marco Brescianini finishing neatly after being set up by Mario Pasalic.

Gian Piero Gasperini is now on the verge of tying Atalanta’s all-time Serie A points record, with a UEFA Champions League spot looking increasingly likely as they move five points clear of fourth-placed Lazio. Meanwhile, Monza must prepare for life in Serie B, ending their three-season spell in the top flight.