ROME — Charles De Ketelaere netted a crucial late goal, propelling Atalanta to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Empoli, and marking their impressive 11th consecutive win in Serie A, a record for the club.
De Ketelaere was pivotal in the match, scoring two goals, while Ademola Lookman added another to help Atalanta maintain a two-point lead over Napoli, who had exerted pressure by winning 2-1 against Genoa a day earlier.
Empoli started strong, with forward Lorenzo Colombo surprising Atalanta by scoring the first goal in the 13th minute via a quick throw-in that caught the home defense off guard.
Things worsened for Atalanta shortly thereafter when Mateo Retegui had to exit the match due to a suspected left thigh injury, leading to Nicolo Zaniolo coming on in his place, although he received a yellow card almost immediately.
Despite these setbacks, Atalanta remained unfazed and equalized in the 34th minute thanks to De Ketelaere’s diving header that found the back of the net.
Lookman then extended their lead just before halftime, netting his ninth league goal for the season after Zaniolo provided an assist from a cross by De Ketelaere.
Empoli’s Sebastiano Esposito scored from the penalty spot following a VAR review for a challenge deemed worthy of a foul, but De Ketelaere sealed the match for Atalanta in the 86th minute, firing a brilliant shot beyond the right post despite tight marking from three defenders.
Although Atalanta clinched the Europa League last season, the Serie A title continues to elude them, with their best finishes being third place on three occasions under coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
In other matches, Juventus broke a streak of four consecutive draws with a hard-earned 2-1 victory against Monza, who are struggling to avoid relegation. Nicolás González scored the decisive goal in the 39th minute, following Weston McKennie’s earlier strike, which had been canceled out by Samuele Birindelli.
Despite having drawn ten out of their 17 games, Juventus remains the only unbeaten team in the league but sits nine points shy of the leading teams. Monza’s defeat leaves them at the bottom of the table following their tenth match without a win.
Meanwhile, Paulo Dybala starred for Roma with two goals and an assist in their convincing 5-0 win over Parma. He opened the scoring with a penalty and capitalized on a rebound from an initial shot by Alexis Saelemaekers early in the second half.
Saelemaekers scored shortly after Dybala’s initial goal, and Leandro Paredes increased the lead with another penalty in the 74th minute after Saelemaekers was fouled off the ball. Dybala then assisted Artem Dovbyk for the final goal late in the game.
After struggling under their third coach of the season, Claudio Ranieri, Roma seemed to have found their rhythm with back-to-back victories over Lecce and Sporting Braga but suffered a setback with a 2-0 loss against promoted Como last weekend.
In another match on Sunday, Venezia claimed a 2-1 victory over Cagliari, with Marin Šverko scoring the winning goal through sheer determination despite heavy defensive pressure from Cagliari. This win lifted Venezia above the relegation zone, now three points clear of Monza.