Atalanta came close to finding the advantage a number of times in their Europa League Round of 16 first leg clash with Sporting, but ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Portugal.
La Dea lined up a weaker-than-usual squad for their mid-week trip to Lisbon, leaving regular stars like Teun Koopmeiners, Charles De Ketelaere and Giorgio Scalvini on the bench. Their hosts also rotated players, suggesting both sides were looking to focus more on their second meeting.
Atalanta got off to a decent start in Portugal but it was Sporting who took the lead after 17 minutes, when a quick counter attack allowed Paulinho to burst down the pitch. He kept his composure as he broke into the Atalanta box, calmly dispatching the opener.
The opener gave the hosts an extra burst of confidence and they started to search for a second, but a mature defensive performance from la Dea ensured things didn’t get out of hand in the first 30 minutes in Lisbon.n
Atalanta hit the post twice in the space of a few minutes not long after falling behind, coming just centimetres from a response through Emil Holm and Gianluca Scamacca. The misfortune fired the players up, however, and soon their efforts forward were rewarded.
In the 39th minute, a mess at the back from Sporting gifted Atalanta the ball just outside the penalty area. It ended up at Scamacca’s feet and the Italian striker stayed calm as he poked home the equaliser, drawing the visitors level.
Scamacca almost immediately put la Dea ahead with a towering header after peeling away from his marker on a corner, but a great save from Franco Israel denied him.
After a round of changes at half time, both Sporting and Atalanta began to play with a little more intensity in the second half, keen to take an advantage into their return match in Bergamo next week.
Ademola Lookman created a wonderful chance for himself just on the hour mark, but his shot bounced off the post, keeping the two sides level.
Sporting weren’t immune from the woodwork either; two minutes after Lookman’s attempt, a strong header from Sebastian Coates looked goal bound until the post again got in the way, letting la Dea off the hook.
In the closing minutes, El Bilal Toure thought he’d found a late winner for Atalanta after breaking onto a through ball, but a quick VAR check confirmed he was offside, chalking off the goal.
After a tiring and intense clash in Lisbon, both sides were forced to share a draw, leaving everything to play for in the second leg.
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