Atalanta Edges Sassuolo 2-1 in Serie A Opener Ahead of Hapoel Tel Aviv Clash

Atalanta secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Sassuolo in their Serie A season opener on Sunday, ahead of their upcoming match against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The game, played at Atalanta's home ground in Bergamo, saw Giacomo Raspadori give Atalanta an early lead in the 6th minute. Sassuolo equalized through Kas Odenthal in the 55th minute, but Nicola Crstovic scored the winning goal for Atalanta in the 65th minute. Despite the win, Atalanta's performance was described as unconvincing by the Italian media, highlighting the need for improvement as coach Maurizio Sarri faces significant work ahead.

Atalanta managed 14 shots with seven on target, while Sassuolo had 22 shots and eight on goal. Historically, Sassuolo has struggled against Atalanta on the road, losing nine of their last 13 away matches against them, with only Juventus and Napoli having a worse record against Sassuolo in Serie A. This victory comes after Atalanta's disappointing 0-0 draw in the Conference League playoff first leg, putting pressure on the team to improve before the return leg and their upcoming domestic fixtures.