MILAN — Atalanta, the current leaders of Serie A, continued their impressive performance in domestic soccer with a commanding win in the Italian Cup against Cesena, a team from the second division.
The match concluded with a score of 6-1, thanks to standout performances from Charles De Ketelaere and Lazar Samardzic, who both found the net twice. This decisive victory has propelled Atalanta into the quarterfinals, where they will face Bologna.
In a similar vein, Roma had an easier matchup against lower-league Sampdoria, winning 4-1 and securing a spot in the last eight against AC Milan. The quarterfinal matches are set to take place in February.
Riding on a club-record streak of ten consecutive league victories, Atalanta showed no signs of complacency even when up against a team from a lower division. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini named a surprisingly strong starting team, and his strategy quickly paid off. Atalanta found themselves ahead 2-0 in under ten minutes, and by halftime, they dominated the game at 4-0 with goals from Davide Zappacosta, two from De Ketelaere, and one from Samardzic.
The second half saw Marco Brescianini add a fifth goal early on, before Atalanta allowed themselves to ease back a little, although Samardzic managed to score again in the 71st minute. At the very end of the match, substitute Joseph Ceesay managed to score a consolation goal for Cesena.
Meanwhile, Roma’s coach Claudio Ranieri led his team to a satisfying victory over Sampdoria, a club he has a history with. This win was especially important after Roma’s recent league defeat to Como, a team that is among those Sampdoria has eliminated from the Cup.
The match took a swift turn for Roma with an impressive early brace from Artem Dovbyk followed by a brilliant individual goal from Tommaso Baldanzi, putting them 3-0 ahead within the first 25 minutes. Sampdoria managed to reclaim a goal through Gerard Yepes in the 61st minute, but Roma quickly reestablished their three-goal lead thanks to substitute Eldor Shomurodov, who scored just moments after coming onto the field.
With these results, both Atalanta and Roma have shown their strength and determination as they advance in the Italian Cup.