Two stars: Miranchuk became the main hero of the match with Napoli, and Golovin gave a radio-controlled assist

Miranchuk's best half

During the period of exclusion of Russian teams and national teams from international competitions, matches with the participation of leading Russian legionnaires have largely become an outlet for fans. And they try to do everything in their power to prove themselves. First of all, this concerns Alexey Miranchuk. A few months ago, the midfielder did not make it into the Atalanta team and was thinking about leaving. But in 2024 he literally transformed, became the team leader and regularly scores points.

Indicative in this regard was the match with Napoli, a direct competitor in the fight for getting into the European Cup. The Bergamoski fell into a slight dive and did not win the national championship for three meetings. A defeat by the Neapolitans would have dropped them to seventh place. At the same time, Miranchuk’s meeting with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not take place. Another former Lokomotiv player was not included in the squad after the Georgian national team qualified for Euro 2024.

At the same time, no one guaranteed a starting place for Alexei, because in the last two Serie A matches he did not receive it. The injury of Charles De Ketelare unwittingly helped. In addition, the Russian returned earlier than others from the national team and had the opportunity to fully prepare.

The domestic football player led the guests forward with the referee's starting whistle. Already in the third minute, he carried the ball into the opponent's half, taking advantage of Mario Pasalic's cutting pass, and from the semicircle of the penalty area fired low at the near post.

But already in the middle of the half, the midfielder still managed to open the scoring, even if the goal turned out to be a little funny. After a cross from the left, the ball was thrown into the penalty area. Pasalic's shot didn't really work, but the projectile bounced to Miranchuk, who sent it between Alex Meret's legs from a meter away.

As a thank you, the Russian soon made a stunning throw to the same Pasalic, but the goalkeeper promptly rushed to the feet of the ex-Spartak footballer. The attack ended with Alexei's shot from 20 meters above. But still he did not leave the field without an assist. Shortly before the break, the midfielder played with Gianluca Scamacca, who immediately fired into the far corner.

In the second half, the Neapolitans seized the initiative, and the Russian, like other leaders of the Atalanta attack, went into the shadows. However, he scored another shot from outside the penalty area, which Meret coped with some difficulty, and took several corners. And in the end, the standoff was put to rest by substitute Thön Koepmeiners, who sent the ball into the target after Matteo Ruggeri's cross from the left flank.

Thus, Gian Piero Gasperini's men, who are sixth in the table, achieved major success and moved five points clear of Napoli. And now only four separate them from the Champions League zone. As for Miranchuk, he scored two points in a match for the fourth time this season. In total, he has four goals and 11 assists, and in Serie A - three goals and five assists.

In the new year, he scored an amazing run, scoring 12 points (3 + 9). Moreover, in terms of the number of assists in all tournaments in 2024, among representatives of the top 5 leading European championships, he is seven behind only Kevin De Bruyne (11), Alex Grimaldo (8) and Theo Hernandez (8). And in terms of the number of assists in the team, he has no equal.

We can only hope that the Russian will not slow down and win the long-awaited trophy. In addition to the national championship, Atalanta continues to fight in the Europa League, where it will face off against Liverpool, and in the National Cup, where it will face Fiorentina in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the athlete’s agent Vadim Shpinev explained the client’s transformation by saying that he finally felt comfortable in the team.

“Alexey did his job. He came out from the first minutes, played the entire match, scored and assisted. Stop praising him. Nothing has changed in his game, he just matures like any wine. Lyosha adapted and got used to it. He feels very good at Atalanta now. Miranchuk is a guy with a head, he’s just working on himself. All the guys on the team respect and love him, there are no problems,” Metaratings quotes Shpinev.

Golovin's assistant talents

Alexander Golovin also supported his compatriot’s initiative. Monaco, whose colors he defends, had an excellent chance to rise to second place in the Ligue 1 table. To do this, it was necessary to beat the outsider Metz on the road.

The problem, in fact, was solved even in the opening. Before the referee had time to blow the starting whistle, Takumi Minamino made a great shot from outside the penalty area. And a rebound from the defender gave Alexander Ukija the opportunity to help out his partners. There were big questions about the hosts' defense in general. For example, a little later, Magnes Akliusha was allowed to calmly break into a rendezvous with the goalkeeper right in the center and accurately send a projectile into the corner.

And in the 16th minute the Russian scored a stunning assist. He has delighted local fans with his radio-controlled broadcasts on numerous occasions and has done it again. The midfielder received the ball in the left half-flank area and cut a soft, thin pass into the penalty area just beyond the goalkeeper. Wanderson, who joined the attack on the right side, hit Ukija in touch.

After this, the meeting could actually end, although the Metz players did not give up and tried to attack. In the second half, Golovin was not so noticeable. He was remembered only for his long-range shot, which the goalkeeper calmly dealt with, and for several executed corners. And in the 79th minute, Adolf Hütter gave one of the leaders a well-deserved rest.

But the teams scored goals in the end. The replacement performers managed to return the audience's interest to what was happening. To begin with, Ukija made a curious mistake. Coming under pressure from Falorin Balogun, he tried to play with his heel on his partner. As a result, the Algerian hit the opposing forward, from whom the projectile bounced into the net. Then the hosts unexpectedly pulled back two goals in seven minutes and revived the intrigue. But literally in the response attack, Balogun scored a double and put an end to it.

The defeat allowed the Monegasques to rise to the coveted second position. Only Brest is able to push them out of there, which will face off against Lorient on March 31. The main thing is that the team gained good momentum and suffered only one defeat in the last nine rounds of the national championship.

Meanwhile, Golovin, with six assists in the current Ligue 1 season, shares the same second place with Angel Gomez from Lille. The only stars ahead of them are Ousmane Dembele (PSG) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille), who assisted teammates seven times each. And according to the “goal + pass” system, the Russian with 12 points (6 + 6) broke into the top 9. The leader here is Kylian Mbappe (24 + 5).