Krysztof Piatek is tailor-made for Italian football! The Polish attacker is loving life again since joining Fiorentina. His well-taken goal was enough to overcome Atalanta at the sunny Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence on Sunday afternoon.Despite losing their best goalscorer Dusan Vlahovic, Fiorentina directors didn’t lose their heads too. They recruited a trusted player that could keep the goals coming for the purples. As a result, Fiorentina is still in the chase for a place in next season’s Champions League.Vincenzo Italiano’s side is only five points away from the Champions League spots after their former forward’s new club drew 1-1 with Torino on Friday. Juve’s derby stalemate gave Atalanta the chance to move up one place to fourth with a win in Florence, but they offered very little once Ruslan Malinovskyi was denied a leveller shortly after going behind, for Hans Hateboer straying marginally offside in the build-up.
Coach Gian Piero Gasperini was sent off after that goal was ruled out as he was livid Hateboer was ruled to have interfered with play. Atalanta, missing attackers Duvan Zapata, Josip Ilicic and Luis Muriel, looked like potential title challengers at the turn of the year but have won just one of their six league matches in 2022 and are at risk of not making the Champions League.They announced on Friday that a group of investors led by American Stephen Pagliuca had agreed to purchase 55 per cent of La Dea, the holding company run by the Percassi family which holds 86 percent of Atalanta’s share capital. Antonio Percassi, who after playing over 100 games for Atalanta in the 1970s quit football in his 20s to move into business, will remain chairman while his son Luca keeps his position as chief executive with Pagliuca a new co-chairman.We will here more about Atalanta’s ambitions in the coming months. But today, they couldn’t resist Viola.SERIE A – Round 26FridayJuventus – Torino 1-1 (1-0)/De Ligt 13 – Belotti 62/SaturdaySampdoria – Empoli 2-0 (2-0)/Quagliarella 14, 29/Roma – Verona 2-2 (0-2)/Volpato 65, Bove 84 – Barak 5, Tameze 20/Salernitana – Milan 2-2 (1-1)/Bonazzoli 29, Djuric 72 – Messias 5, Rebic 77/SundayFiorentina – Atalanta 1-0 (0-0)/Piatek 56/17.00: (2.55) Venezia (3.15) Genoa (2.85)20.00: (1.32) Inter (5.50) Sassuolo (9.00)22.45: (2.85) Udinese (3.20) Lazio (2.55)Monday21.00: (6.00) Cagliari (4.10) Napoli (1.55)23.00: (1.87) Bologna (3.50) Spezia (4.30)***odds are subject to change