Atalanta advanced to the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup on Wednesday with a dominant 6-1 win over Cesena. The Serie A leaders produced an impressive display at home, cruising past their second-tier opponents in Bergamo.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side took control early, going three goals up within 30 minutes. Davide Zappacosta opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and Charles De Ketelaere and Lazar Samardzic both scored braces to extend their lead. Marco Brescianini added a fifth goal in the 54th minute, sealing the comprehensive victory.
Atalanta, who are currently two points clear of Napoli at the top of Serie A, will face Bologna in the quarter-finals. The team is set to host Empoli on Sunday in their league campaign.
Cesena, who pulled a late goal back through Joseph Ceesay in the final minute, are fifth in Serie B and pushing for promotion. They will visit Juve Stabia on Sunday, trailing the automatic promotion spots by 12 points.
Meanwhile, in other Cup action, Claudio Ranieri’s Roma bounced back from recent struggles with a 4-1 win over Sampdoria. Artem Dovbyk scored twice early on, and Tommaso Baldanzi and Eldor Shomurodov added further goals to complete the comfortable victory. Roma, sitting just above the relegation zone in Serie A, will next face AC Milan in the Italian Cup and will host Parma on Sunday.
