05/04/25 10:04:00
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05/04 10:02 CDT Atalanta consolidates 3rd place in Serie A as race for final
Champions League spot heats up
Atalanta consolidates 3rd place in Serie A as race for final Champions League
spot heats up
By DANIELLA MATAR
AP Sports Writer
MILAN (AP) --- Atalanta consolidated third place in Serie A on Sunday, while
the race for the final Champions League spot behind it heated up.
Charles De Ketelaere found the back of the net in the league for the first time
in 2025 with a first-half double to help set Atalanta on its way to a 4-0 win
at Monza.
Monza, which was rooted to the bottom of the table and had looked doomed for
months, was mathematically relegated as the result left it 12 points from
safety with three rounds remaining.
De Ketelaere hadn't scored in Serie A since December --- a run of 16 matches
--- but ended his drought in fine fashion in the 12th minute, controlling a
ball from Mateo Retegui before beating two men and drilling into the near
bottom corner.
Monza showed why it is getting relegated 11 minutes later. Gaetano Castrovilli
managed to intercept Retegui's return pass towards Ademola Lookman but the
Monza midfielder and teammate Pedro Pereira both just looked at the ball,
allowing De Ketelaere to pounce and prod it into the bottom left corner.
Castrovilli thought he had atoned for his error when he headed home on the
stroke of halftime but it was ruled out for offside.
Atalanta extended its lead immediately after the break when Retegui headed on a
long ball over the top and Lookman beat Stefan Lekovic, who had only just come
on, and raced into the area to fire past Semuel Pizzignacco.
Substitute Marco Brescianini capped a dominant Atalanta performance with a
fourth, two minutes from time.
Champions League race
Lazio moved temporarily into fourth place with a 1-0 win at
relegation-threatened Empoli.
Boulaye Dia scored the only goal after just 54 seconds and both teams ended the
match with 10 men.
Empoli forward Lorenzo Colombo was sent off shortly before halftime after two
bookings in the space of four minutes and Lazio defender Elseid Hysaj was
dismissed in the 76th minute following a second yellow card.
Empoli remained two points from safety while Lazio leapfrogged a point above
Juventus and two above Bologna ahead of the crucial match between those two
teams later Sunday.
Lazio hosts Juventus next Saturday.
There was another direct battle on Sunday as Roma was set to play Fiorentina,
with the two teams sitting just three and four points, respectively, below
fourth place.
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