Soccer-Atalanta draw with Lecce as top-four battle heats up


(Reuters) -Atalanta were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lecce, as Mateo Retegui's second-half penalty for the hosts cancelled out Jesper Karlsson's spot kick for the visitors in Serie A on Sunday.

The result left third-placed Atalanta looking nervously over their shoulders as the battle for a top-four finish heats up.

Atalanta have 65 points with four games left, three points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus after their earlier win over Monza, while Bologna are two points further adrift in fifth but with a game in hand.

The match was originally scheduled for Friday but was rearranged after the death of the visitors' physiotherapist the day before.

Lecce stunned the Gewiss Stadium after 29 minutes, as Sweden's Karlsson tucked away a penalty following a handball by his compatriot Isak Hien.

Retegui drew Atalanta level in the 69th minute, converting from the spot after Karlsson clumsily fouled Juan Cuadrado.

Minutes later, Serie A’s top scorer Retegui nearly completed the turnaround for Atalanta when he met a cross with a perfectly timed header that crashed against the upright and bounced away to safety.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Toby Davis)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Football

Soccer-Man United boss Amorim says he has no plans to quit
Soccer-Spurs' Kulusevski undergoes knee surgery ahead of Europa League final
Soccer-Late Zulj header earns Buriram United draw in first leg of ASEAN final
Soccer-Reading takeover completed by ex-Wycombe owner Couhig
Soccer-Paraguayan kids get taste of World Cup at FIFA Museum
Soccer-Lewandowski back for Barca at Espanyol with LaLiga title in sight
Soccer-Atletico keen to keep improving to close gap with rivals, says Simeone
Soccer-Ashworth appointed as the FA's first chief officer
Soccer-FIFA targets $1 billion revenue from Women's World Cup
Soccer-Bolivar's Vaca provisionally suspended after failed doping test

Others Also Read