Atalanta secured a 2-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in their UEFA Champions League clash on Wednesday, with second-half goals from Ademola Lookman and Nicolo Zaniolo ensuring the Italian side remained unbeaten in the competition.
Lookman opened the scoring in the 51st minute, capitalizing on a well-timed cross from Charles De Ketelaere.
The English forward, who has been in fine form this season, made no mistake, tapping the ball into the net to give Atalanta the lead.
Despite Stuttgart’s early possession dominance, it was the Italian team who found the breakthrough, continuing their impressive defensive record, which has seen them not concede a goal in this year’s Champions League campaign.
With Stuttgart struggling to break down the Atalanta defense, Zaniolo sealed the victory in the 88th minute, making it 2-0.
The substitute latched onto a defensive lapse by Stuttgart and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Alexander Nubel to extend Atalanta’s unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions.
The loss ended Stuttgart’s remarkable unbeaten home run that had stretched for over a year in all tournaments.
It also dropped them to 27th place in the standings with four points, leaving them outside the playoff spots. Meanwhile, Atalanta moved up to ninth with eight points, strengthening their position in the group.
Stuttgart had their chances in the first half, dominating possession, but were unable to convert. Their best opportunity came when Anthony Rouault missed a header from inside the six-yard box.
Just before the break, Deniz Undav had a close-range shot set up by Chris Fuhrich, but the striker hit the side netting, wasting Stuttgart’s best opportunity of the half.
Atalanta responded in the second half with De Ketelaere’s creative contribution. His dribbling and precise delivery allowed Lookman to score with ease.
Stuttgart, coming off a 1-0 win over Juventus in their previous Champions League fixture, failed to breach the Atalanta defense, and the game slipped away from them in the final stages when Zaniolo made it 2-0.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side has now put themselves in a strong position at the midway point of the league phase, with Atalanta and Inter Milan the only two teams in the competition yet to concede a goal after four matches.
