Luis Muriel bagged a brace around a debut goal from youth product Giovanni Bonfanti and Charles De Ketelaere, as Atalanta consolidated their Europa League group victory.
La Dea had already guaranteed first place, but were aiming to finish the group phase unbeaten. Sead Kolasinac, Jose Luis Palomino, Rafael Toloi, Gianluca Scamacca, Teun Koopmeiners and El Bilal Toure didn’t make the trip, so youth products Giovanni Bonfanti and Tommaso Del Lungo received their full debuts. Rakow could still snatch third place and a spot in the Conference League from Sturm Graz.
It took just 14 minutes to break through in Poland, as Aleksei Miranchuk won it back in midfield and found Muriel, who cut inside the defender, feinted a shot at the far bottom corner and instead surprised the goalkeeper going near post with the inside of the left boot.
The second goal was less classy and more chaotic, as a corner saw several attempted tap-ins charged down from close range until Giovanni Bonfanti bundled it over the line to celebrate his first senior start with a goal.
Rakow wasted an incredible opportunity to get one back, as a ball was flashed across the six-yard box and somehow Lukasz Zwolinski hit a fresh-air tap-in.
Just days after scoring an extraordinary back-heel flick winner against Milan in Serie A, Muriel tried again twice. The first was charged down by a defender, the rebound attempt then bounced off the base of the upright.
Muriel wasted a golden opportunity after the restart when springing the offside trap to fire wide with only the goalkeeper left to beat.
Miranchuk fired a couple of efforts off target and Zwolinski’s header went over from six yards, but Rakow had a big double chance on a corner. The Adnan Kovacevic header thumped the base of the upright and Marco Carnesecchi used his leg to parry the Ante Crnac follow-up.
Moments later, Atalanta got a third on the counter-attack, as Emil Holm rolled across from the right, Jean Carlos attempted to intercept, but instead ended up clearing it onto the foot of Muriel.
Carnesecchi again got his fingertips to a Zwolinski header and Crnac ballooned over the bar, but Mario Pasalic’s header was denied by a marvellous save on the line.
Tommaso De Nipoti was one of several youth academy products who came on for a cameo and completed a give and go to send De Ketelaere through for an angled drive into the far bottom corner.
Rakow 0-4 Atalanta
Muriel 14, 72 (A), Bonfanti 26 (A), De Ketelaere 92 (A)
Player statistic
| 14' |  |
Luis Muriel (Assist: Aleksey Miranchuk) | ||
| 27' | |
Giovanni Bonfanti | ||
| 33' |  |
Emil Holm |
| 73' | |
Luis Muriel | ||
| Fran Tudor | |
75' | ||
| 79' | |
Giovanni Bonfanti | ||
| 90+2' | |
Charles De Ketelaere |
Match statistic
