Atalanta edged past Athletic Club 1-0 in a Club Friendly on Thursday evening at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia. The result came after nine minutes of the second half when Neven Zalewski found the net. It was a tight encounter between two sides still building rhythm ahead of their respective seasons.
And here's the thing about that opening goal — it arrived almost immediately after the break. Zalewski's finish gave Atalanta the lead they'd earned through sustained pressure. Athletic had spent the first half probing, but the visitors couldn't find the breakthrough before the interval.
Both managers made sweeping changes at the hour mark, bringing on eight players between them. Atalanta introduced Scamacca, Samardzic, and Bellanova, while Athletic responded with Ruiz de Galarreta, Berchiche, and Williams. By then, the game had settled into a more open rhythm, with neither side willing to park the bus.
The statistics tell a story of parity. Both teams registered 77 attacks and committed just one offside each. Atalanta held 55 per cent possession and earned one corner, while Athletic managed four corners despite having less ball. To be fair, the shot count wasn't provided, but the attack figures suggest both sides created opportunities without converting.
This friendly result leaves Atalanta with momentum heading into the new campaign. They'd lost to Feyenoord in their previous outing but bounced back with this victory. Athletic, meanwhile, dropped points in their last outing against Marseille before stringing together three wins. The scoreline reflects what we saw — a narrow margin decided by a single moment.