A star-studded Sunday dawned with a marquee Serie A clash. Atalanta won 2-0 away to Lecce to make it five wins in a row and move a full six points clear of sixth-place Roma. The outstanding performance in the match made them lock up a spot in next season's Europa League two rounds ahead of schedule, and the Europa League final in the early hours of Thursday morning gave them the momentum.
With the expansion of the UEFA Europa League, the top five teams of this year's Serie A will have the opportunity to participate in the UEFA Europa League, and Atalanta is undoubtedly the biggest winner of this change. In the first half, they showed that they are a "magic team" and quickly broke the deadlock in the second half. Schickamaka scored with a long, precise pass, and Kidinani capitalized on a half-volley opportunity. The 23-year-old Belgian international scored three goals in the last two league matches, and his hot form has become a weapon in the team's offense.
Just five minutes later, Schikamaka produced another corner to give Atalanta a two-goal lead. The Italian international's outstanding performance was also eye-catching, and their tacit understanding has kept Atalanta in the top five of the league with a win and a draw in two rounds against Roma in the Serie A standings in a tie-breaking matchup.
Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bologna, Juventus and Atalanta have jointly locked up five places in next season's UEFA Europa League. It is worth noting that if Atalanta wins the Champions League and finishes the season in fifth place in the league (not making it into the top four), the sixth-placed team in Serie A will qualify for the Europa League.
