Milan: Soccer resumed in one of the Italian cities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic with a poignant Serie A match as Atalanta gave a much-needed boost to the residents of Bergamo.
Atalanta beat Sassuolo 4-1 in its first Serie A match in 112 days and the first in Bergamo since Feb. 15.
“There’s a lot going on in the world and Bergamo has been hit hard. This win was for the city, the people, the club. The worst days are behind us, change is coming,” Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon wrote in a post on Twitter after the match.
More than 16,000 people have died from the virus in the Lombardy region containing Bergamo, and the small city was one of the epicenters of the outbreak. Images of a convoy of military trucks driving coffins out of the city because the crematorium couldn’t keep up were beamed around the world. Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini — who revealed last month that he acquired COVID-19 — had vowed before the match to help make the people of Bergamo smile again.
“A first smile. It’s nice to say that we’re back and we have restarted from where we were stopped,” Gasperini said. “It’s obvious that some things will never be deleted. But soccer which is entertainment and an incredible passion can help people rejoice again. “Our biggest satisfaction will be when fans can return to the stadium because playing in these conditions is really a shame. A win like today with fans would have been a completely different thing.” The minute’s silence before kickoff in tribute to those who have died with the coronavirus was accompanied by a video of the city during the crisis, along with the song “Rinascero, rinascerai” (I will be born again, you will be born again). Serie A has resumed this weekend with four catchup matches.
There were two on Saturday and title-chasing Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 2-1 in Sunday’s late match. All matches are being played in empty stadiums. Some fans were outside Atalanta’s Gweiss Stadium and they could be heard chanting against the league’s governing body.
The match was all but over by halftime following strikes from Berat Djimsiti and Duván Zapata and an own-goal by Sassuolo midfielder Mehdi Bourabia. Atalanta had also hit the crossbar and had a goal ruled out for handball. (AP)
