Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui continued his astonishing start to the season by scoring two more goals as the Nerazzurri destroyed Verona 6-1, equalling a feat that only two Italian players could achieve before him in the three points for a win era.
The 25-year-old netted twice in 58 minutes against the Gialloblu before being replaced by Nicolò Zaniolo moments later, increasing his scoring tally to 10 Serie A goals this season from nine games.
Atalanta’s goal machine Retegui joins Serie A elite group
As reported by Opta, by netting his first against Verona, Retegui became the third Italian player to score at least nine goals in his first nine matches for a Serie A club since three points were awarded for a league win.
By doing so, he joined a group composed of Fiorentina’s Luca Toni and Sampdoria’s Vincenzo Montella, who scored 11 and nine goals in their opening nine games for their clubs, respectively. However, Retegui overcame the latter in the second half by finding his 10th net since joining Atalanta.
9 – Mateo #Retegui became the 3rd Italian player to score at least 9 goals in his first 9 games for a club in #SerieA in the 3 points for a win era after Luca Toni for Fiorentina in 2005/06 (11) and Vincenzo Montella for Sampdoria in 1996/97 (9). Podium.#AtalantaVerona pic.twitter.com/qad3JrJHBd
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) October 26, 2024
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side temporarily climbed to fourth in Serie A after their victory, also proving the most prolific side in the league by far as they scored 24 goals from their first nine outings.
Scamacca’s misfortune was a blessing in disguise for Atalanta, Retegui himself and italy. An opportunity that might’ve not come otherwise. He deserves it.