Nicolo Zaniolo ensured Atalanta maintained their lead at the top of Serie A this weekend by scoring the lone goal in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Cagliari, marking a club-record tenth consecutive league win.
Zaniolo, who came on as a substitute, determined the outcome of a closely contested match in Sardinia by finishing off Raoul Bellanova’s assist in the 66th minute to put Atalanta five points ahead in Serie A.
Gasperini was dissatisfied with his team’s performance, noting that after an impressive display in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Real Madrid, they struggled against Cagliari, who sit 15th and only two points clear of the relegation zone.
“A huge part of this team, not everyone, needs to mature and adopt the mentality of the core players in the squad,” stated Gasperini, whose decision to make three substitutions at halftime reflected his discontent.
Atalanta, who also hit the post through Ademola Lookman shortly after Zaniolo’s goal, managed to secure all three points largely due to an outstanding showing from goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
Carnesecchi made three remarkable saves in the six minutes leading up to halftime and preserved the victory in stoppage time by denying Leonardo Pavoletti’s header.
Zaniolo’s goal was his third of the season, indicating a resurgence for the Italy international following a challenging few years. The 25-year-old was once considered a promising talent in Italian football after rising to fame at Roma, but two severe knee injuries in 2020 hindered his growth as a creative playmaker.
He won the inaugural Europa Conference League with Roma in 2022 under Jose Mourinho but had a fallout with the Portuguese manager, leading to his transfer to Galatasaray last year, from which he was loan
