Atalanta sinks in the Conference League, the race to the top ignites

In yesterday's evening, Gian Piero Sarri's Atalanta took the field at the Cruyff Arena against Ajax and suffered a 2‑0 defeat, leaving the Bergamo side in fifteenth place in the Conference League standings, awaiting the next four matches.

The result in Amsterdam also penalised Brighton, regarded as one of the tournament's big favourites, which suffered a defeat in its last match. Meanwhile Panathinaikos, Lugano and Trabzonspor have collected three wins out of three, sharing the full points with five other teams.

Getafe, another notable team, responded with a heavy 5‑2 loss at home, beaten by the Swiss side Lugano.

Other results and table

Meanwhile, the round featured several other matches: Kairat Almaty suffered a 1‑5 defeat to Panathinaikos, Getafe lost 2‑5 to Lugano, and Jablonec drew 0‑0 with Brighton. Other results include Kauno Zalgiris‑Brann 1‑4, Nordsjaelland‑CSKA Sofia 2‑2 and Pafos‑Riga 1‑1.

Among the return fixtures, Aarhus‑Egnatia ended 1‑1, Ajax‑Atalanta 2‑0, and Borac‑KuPS 2‑0. In addition, Braga‑Gent 2‑0, Lincoln‑Twente 1‑4 and Midtjylland‑St. Truiden 0‑1 added to the scoreboard.

The current table shows Panathinaikos, Lugano, Brann, Trabzonspor, Twente, Monaco, St. Truiden and Hajduk Split all on six points, with Brighton in fourth place. Atalanta remains on three points, unchanged from the previous round, while Braga and Gent have lost a point.

With four matches still to play, Atalanta will need to quickly find continuity to climb out of the stalemate, while the battle for the top is becoming ever tighter.