I cover European football with a focus on the Italian game.
For the first time in 21 years, Como have won a Serie A game.
Not since May 2003 had the Lariani won a match in the Italian top flight, when they beat Torino on the final day of the 2002/03 campaign. Como were already relegated to Serie B by the time they bested the Turin side 1-0, and they had to wait a long time before they tasted another victory against the elite.
A very long time.
When the victory did arrive, it came in the most unlikely places: an away win against Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta at the Gewiss Stadium, the same venue where Arsenal failed to score less than a week ago.
The fixture was postponed on Monday night after biblical-levels of rain crashed down on the streets of Bergamo that lasted around five hours. The game was put on hold for an hour before referee Paride Tremolada, after coming out four times to test the state of the waterlogged pitch, called the event off. Rescheduled for 24 hours later, the wait — like Como’s victory — was worth it.
Most expected an Atalanta win, as La Dea had held Arsenal to a draw in the Champions League five days prior in the same arena and Como’s return to Serie A had seen them go winless in the opening rounds.
That expectation didn’t change when Davide Zappacosta slammed home the opening goal of the game from a corner in the opening 20 minutes. The right-back, not normally one to score, displayed great technique to get over the ball and keep it low, giving Como stopper Emil Audero.
Many would’ve expected Como to cave and the goals to flow in Atalanta’s favour, yet the game didn’t go according to plan. Como maintained their shape, and Atalanta lacked their usual rhythm, finding it difficult to shift through the gears.
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