Atalanta 2-1 Roma: Sulemana Strikes Late as Atalanta Clinch Champions League Spot

Ibrahim Sulemana emerged as the match-winner off the bench, netting a 76th-minute goal to seal a 2-1 victory for Atalanta over Roma on Monday, securing their place in next season’s Champions League.

Ademola Lookman opened the scoring just nine minutes in, weaving through defenders after receiving a pass from Charles De Ketelaere and curling a shot into the far corner.

Roma responded on the half-hour mark, with Bryan Cristante flicking a header home from Matias Soule’s precise cross from the left.

With the game in the balance, Sulemana capitalized on a loose ball outside the box, drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner for his first Serie A goal—one that proved decisive.

The win lifts Atalanta to third in Serie A on 71 points, seven clear of fourth-placed Juventus. Lazio sit fifth, while Roma are now sixth with 63 points after a potentially damaging setback in the European qualification race.

Data Debrief: Atalanta End Home Slump, Roma’s Struggles Persist

Atalanta had collected just eight points from their previous nine home league games in 2025, averaging under a point per match, but broke that poor run with a dominant attacking display.

They generated 2.4 expected goals to Roma’s 0.81, though only hit the target three times from 16 attempts—something coach Gian Piero Gasperini may still look to improve.

Nevertheless, Atalanta reached the 100-goal milestone in all competitions for the fifth time, adding to their prolific tallies from 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2023-24.

For Roma, the defeat snapped a 16-game unbeaten run in the second half of the season (W12 D4) and highlighted their ongoing struggles in Bergamo—now five losses in their last six away league matches against Atalanta.