De Ketelaere’s poetry, Lukaku left alone in Roma’s loss to Atalanta

Charles De Ketelaere exposed Evan Ndicka and was the undisputed Man of the Match in Atalanta‘s 2-1 win over Roma on Sunday while Romelu Lukaku was left alone.

Italian sports papers react to Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Roma on Sunday. The win sent La Dea into fifth place in Serie A, boosting their hopes of qualifying for the 2024-25 Champions League.

De Ketelaere inspired Atalanta’s win with a stunning brace in 20 minutes. The ex-Milan flop has netted 13 times this season, nine in Serie A, and was rated 8.5/10 by Gazzetta.

De Ketelaere’s poetry, Lukaku left alone in Roma’s loss to Atalanta

“A right-footed goal, another one with his left foot. He nearly scored the third and provided a key pass for Pasalic after a roulette. Poetry,” wrote Gazzetta journalist Andrea Elefante.

Atalanta dominated for 70 minutes and it’s no coincidence that the lowest rating from Gazzetta was 6.5/10 for El-Bilal Touré.

On the other hand, Roma struggled for most of the game and several players received poor ratings. Evan Ndicka was the most disappointing one as he received 4/10 from Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport.

Lukak was also pretty disappointing and was rated 5/10. “He only saw the goal once, but his shot was weak. He struggled against Hien, Djimsiti and loneliness,” wrote the pink paper.

If Atalanta wins the Europa League next week and finish outside the top four, Italy will secure an extra spot for the 2024-25 Champions League with six teams qualified (here’s the explanation).