Isaksen’s Late Impact Secures Lazio a Hard-Fought Away Victory Against Atalanta in Serie A

Atalanta’s hopes of clinching the 2024/25 Serie A title are virtually dashed following a narrow 1-0 loss to Lazio at Gewiss Stadium. This defeat marks La Dea’s seventh consecutive home league match without a win since the onset of 2025.

As anticipated given their dismal home form lately, Atalanta struggled to find their footing early in the match. Lazio’s backline was vigilant, successfully intercepting key passes from Davide Zappacosta and Mateo Retegui when La Dea finally began to threaten.

Both intercepted passes led to corners, but Lazio remained resolute. Their focus on defensive stability is understandable, considering 13 of their previous 15 Serie A victories had come from scoring first.

Lazio’s strategy to stifle Atalanta translated into a dearth of clear chances for the hosts. Nonetheless, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru nearly created a chance as he saw a promising pass cut off just before the half-hour mark.

Shortly thereafter, Marco Baroni was compelled to make the first substitution of the match, bringing on a replacement for Nuno Tavares due to an injury sustained from a robust challenge by Sead Kolasinac.

Atalanta maintained their efforts to unsettle the Lazio defence, yet once again, the visitors stood firm and another trio of corners resulted in nothing. With Lazio detecting Atalanta’s rising frustration, they intensified their offensive approach immediately after the break.

Dele-Bashiru remained a persistent threat, unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the area, which was expertly parried away by Marco Carnesecchi.

He made amends shortly after, as following a world-class save by Christos Mandas to deny Mateo Retegui, the Nigerian deftly flicked a header towards Gustav Isaksen on a counterattack. With Carnesecchi off his line, the Danish forward made no mistake, finishing to notch his sixth goal of the season.

A swift reply was crucial for La Dea, and Davide Zappacosta almost provided one, receiving a rebound just outside the area, but Mandas was equal to the task with a routine save.

Unfortunately for Atalanta, momentum remained elusive, as Luca Pellegrini squandered a great chance to seal the match with fifteen minutes left, poorly striking an effort that Carnesecchi comfortably dealt with, sending it out for a corner that bore no fruit.

This miss prompted Gian Piero Gasperini to make his final move from the bench, introducing Lazar Samardzic and Daniel Maldini in a double substitution.

Regrettably, the substitutes were unable to make an impact, and Lazio held firm to secure all three points. What initially appeared to be a promising title challenge for Atalanta has crumbled after their third consecutive league defeat and a worrying fourth straight home match without finding the net.

This marks the first time in 20 years they’ve endured such a dismal run at home, with emotions on their side contrasting sharply with those of Lazio, who will bask in this victory – their third win from five away fixtures against the Bergamo side.