De Ketelaere and Pasalic score as Atalanta see off Torino for third straight win

Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere celebrates his goal against Torino

Atalanta recorded a ninth victory in 11 matches in all competitions by beating Torino 2-0 in Bergamo, keeping themselves in the hunt for the Serie A European places.

The in-form hosts got off to the perfect start when Charles De Ketelaere flicked home Lorenzo Bernasconi’s corner at the near post with just 13 minutes on the clock.

It was the Belgian’s first league goal since September, and La Dea threatened with another set-piece when Nikola Krstovic, who scored a midweek brace against Bologna, headed just over after meeting a free-kick.

Alberto Paleari also pulled off a brilliant save to stop Nicola Zalewski’s shot from finding the bottom corner as Atalanta flexed their muscle.

Atalanta - Torino match stats

Torino had chances of their own before the break, with Gvidas Gineitis firing just over and Guillermo Maripan forcing Marco Carnesecchi into a superb close-range stop.

Their inability to restore parity before the break, perhaps, was not surprising as none of Atalanta’s last six games have produced more than a single goal in the first half.

However, La Dea threatened to double their advantage quickly in the second, with Davide Zappacosta the width of the post away from doing so.

Despite their dominance, their lead was still delicate, and Carnesecchi kept Raffaele Palladino’s men ahead with a stunning reflex save to deny Maripan again after the ball dropped down kindly for him from a corner.

The goalkeeper then smothered Giovanni Simeone’s effort just a few yards out, before getting down to stop Emirhan Ilkhan’s goalbound header. Mario Pasalic’s late run and finish then ensured victory for Atalanta with the last kick of the game, and although they stay in seventh place, they are now just three points away from the top six.

Torino missed the chance to win three successive Serie A trips for the first time since May 2023, as they dropped to 12th.