Atalanta make Serie A history with latest attacking masterclass

Atalanta made history with their 5-2 win over Cagliari on Sunday as they became the first side to score four or more goals in each of their first three Serie A matches of a season.

Five different scorers registered for the hosts at the Gewiss Stadium to help last season’s Champions League quarter-finalists achieve a third straight victory to begin the 2020-21 campaign.

After beating Torino 4-2 in their opening game and Lazio 4-1 last weekend, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were once again at their free-flowing best against Cagliari.

Luis Muriel’s VAR-awarded goal inside seven minutes got the ball rolling for Atalanta and Papu Gomez curled in a second after debutant Diego Godin had equalised.

Mario Pasalic and Duvan Zapata found the net before half-time and, after Joao Pedro pulled another back for Cagliari, Sam Lammers rounded things off with his first goal for the club.

Real Madrid were the last side in Europe’s top five divisions to start a league campaign with four or more goals in each of their first three games, doing so in 1987-88.

But Atalanta boss Gasperini insists there is still more to come from his side, who finished last season five points off champions Juventus in third place.

“We played with plenty of quality even if there is always something to improve. But I am happy,” he told DAZN.

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“This team has been built on a very solid basis. We’ve been working with a well-defined team for the last three years and with the help of everybody.”