Rome (AFP)

Football has also resumed its course in Bergamo, one of the cities hardest hit in Europe by the coronavirus epidemic, where Atalanta again displayed its magnificent attacking game to crush Sassuolo 4-1 on Sunday.

The "calcio" has restarted for 10 days now in Italy and there have been matches in Naples, Turin, Rome or Verona. But this first match in Bergamo was special.

In the heart of Lombardy, Bergamo was indeed a city-martyr of the coronavirus. "I think that Bergamo is unfortunately in proportion the most affected city in the world, unless there are cities in Brazil even more affected than I know," said his mayor Giorgio Gori recently when meeting with the foreign press.

So the minute of meditation before the kick-off was particularly moving. While the players were gathered around the central circle, resounded the notes of "Rinascero, Rinascerai" (I will be reborn, you will be reborn), a song composed during confinement by Roby Facchinetti, an Italian musician native of Bergamo.

The club also broadcast on its social networks a video accompanying this song, in which we see Atalanta players, trainer Gian Piero Gasperini and doctors and nurses showing this same message, "Rinascero, Rinascerai".

Before the match, a few tifosi gathered around the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia stadium to welcome their team's coach.

"We came to support the team, even if we know we can't get in. The passion is so strong, so we come. We will look through the window openings, we hope to see the bus arrive, even greet them from afar, see them and keep this passion alive, "50-year-old supporter Giorgio Arboldi told AFP TV.

"It's going to be strange football. It's good for the championship, even if I think that even for the players, it's going to be weird to play in an empty stadium," he added.

- offensive festival -

In fact, some tifosi remain opposed to the resumption of competition and had deployed in front of the stadium a banner on which one could read: "A football without tifosi is not football".

Some songs against the Football League were also heard for a few minutes at the start of the match, before giving way to the offensive festival of Atalanta.

For a few minutes, however, the Gasperini team suffered enormously and Sassuolo should have scored on one of their many chances.

This was not the case and Atalanta was ruthless, recalling why she was still in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and well placed (4th) to return to C1 next season.

At the break, Atalanta had already scored three goals (Djimsiti, Zapata and Bourabia against his side), hit the bar once and saw two other goals canceled after VAR intervention, including one very severely.

In the second period, Zapata added a new goal, then Bourabia reduced the gap on a beautiful free kick at the very end of the match.

With this victory in this late match of the 25th day, Atalanta consolidates its 4th place, with six lengths ahead of AS Rome (5th) and only three points behind Inter Milan (3rd), who will play at 9.45pm against Sampdoria Genoa.

From Wednesday, it will be opposed to Lazio Rome (2nd) for what will be a first peak of this second phase of the Italian championship.

© 2020 AFP