With 100+ goals to choose from, this may be the hardest article I’ve had to write, and 5 goals probably doesn’t do mercy to the unreal goal run Atalanta had this year. Of course, this is a super contentious article to write, so please feel free to add any deserving I may have overlooked. Now let’s begin the countdown.
5- Duvan Zapata versus Genoa, September 15, 2019: Genoa was a royal pain in the ass this year for Atalanta. But Duvan’s stoppage time strike ensured that they won the season campaign against Gasperini’s old squad.
4- Luis Muriel versus Udinese, June 28, 2020: Muriel was a boss off the bench this year, but his free kick strike against Udinese was perhaps his best Atalanta bail-out act of the year.
3- Papu Gomez versus Dinamo Zagreb, November 28, 2019: Atalanta’s glorious Champion’s League run wouldn’t have been possible without a “throw caution to the wind” performance against the Croatian side, in which Papu showed his dribbling magic to keep Atalanta’s hopes alive for a top 2 spot.
2- Ruslan Malinovskyi versus Lazio, June 24, 2020: Everyone in Bergamo knew Ruslan had a missile of a left foot, but the rest of Italy and the world found out after this thunderous strike.
1- Josip Ilicic versus Torino, January 25, 2020: Definitely a candidate for Serie A goal of the season. Ilicic’s quick thinking took advantage of a Sirigu brain fart to drill a strike from the halfway line that’s still cemented firmly in my mind, and thus is my goal of the season!
Since this was such a hard exercise to complete, there is obvious room for subjectivity. So of course, my honorable mentions:
- Ilicic vs. Torino (Palomino hard work and brilliant assist)
- Pasalic vs. Roma (18 second onto the pitch!)
- Zapata vs. Juventus (Back and forth with Papu, and bossing of Betancur)
- Malinovskyi vs. Juventus (Yes his right foot is a missile too!)
- Muriel vs. Udinese (Goal number 2 and icing the game)
