Atalanta left the New Balance Arena with a draw that felt closer to a warning than a point. An extraordinary 4-4 with Frosinone produced eight goals, late swings and a restless home crowd, but it also exposed the strain on Maurizio Sarri’s depleted squad before a quick return to league duty at Fiorentina.
The coach and the club
Sarri had only 64 hours to prepare his side after the previous commitment and could not recover any of the eight players already unavailable. The evening became still more difficult when Raoul Bellanova suffered a muscular problem before the half-hour mark, making him Atalanta’s ninth injury concern.
Frosinone, by contrast, arrived after nine days of preparation. Massimiliano Alvini matched Atalanta’s 4-2-3-1, with Ghedjemis, Schmid and Kvernadze supporting Raimondo. Sarri selected Carnesecchi behind Bellanova, Kristensen, Obric and Zappacosta, with Gaetano and Ederson in midfield; Elmas, De Ketelaere and Rowe played behind Nikola Krstovic.
It was only the ninth meeting between the clubs across Serie A and Serie B. Atalanta had won five of the previous eight, Frosinone one, while the other two had finished goalless. This contest added a very different entry to that modest history.
A match that would not settle
Frosinone struck after just 27 seconds. Atalanta made a serious error while playing out from the back, and Schmid punished Ederson’s misplaced pass with a composed finish.
The response came in the 14th minute. Rowe drove the counterattack, De Ketelaere spotted Krstovic’s run and the Montenegro forward finished beyond Palmisani for 1-1.
Three minutes later, Schmid restored the visitors’ advantage. Raimondo challenged Obric, Ghedjemis collected the loose ball and delivered from the right for Schmid to score. Atalanta appealed over the earlier contact involving Obric and Raimondo, as well as Kvernadze’s position in front of the goalkeeper, but the goal stood after the checks.
De Ketelaere almost brought Atalanta level again with a clever back-heel, only for Oyono to clear from the goal line. Then Bellanova’s injury forced Sarri into an early change, Bernasconi taking his place.
Atalanta did find their second equaliser from the penalty spot. Cittadini handled while falling awkwardly in the area, and referee Marinelli awarded the spot-kick after an on-field VAR review. Ederson converted, making amends for his part in the opening goal.
The home side then took control just before the interval. Gaetano restarted quickly from a free-kick in midfield, De Ketelaere moved the ball wide to Zappacosta, and Krstovic turned in the cross to send Atalanta into the break 3-2 ahead.
Frosinone’s answer
The second half continued at the same breathless pace. Three minutes after the restart, Ghedjemis confronted Rowe on the right and laid the ball back for Calò, who found the far corner from the edge of the area.
Calò’s mistake in Frosinone’s build-up then handed Atalanta another opening. De Ketelaere won possession and supplied Krstovic, who chose the simple pass for Elmas. The midfielder controlled and finished from close range for 4-3.
Alvini introduced Terzic at half-time for the booked Bracaglia, and the substitute had the decisive say. With eight minutes remaining, Frosinone worked the ball through a long move down the right before Ghedjemis found Terzic arriving in space. His first-time finish, aided by a deflection, travelled into the far corner for 4-4.
Ghedjemis was a persistent problem for Atalanta throughout and nearly won it soon afterwards, but Elmas cleared his long-range effort off the line. Carnesecchi also had to deal with further attempts from Ghedjemis and Schmid as Frosinone pressed for a fifth.
Atalanta made further changes, with Samardzic and Scamacca replacing De Ketelaere and Krstovic, while Zalewski and Pasalic came on for Rowe and Gaetano. Frosinone also brought on Zerbin, Cichella, Monterisi and debutant Tchato during the closing stages.
Thursday at the Franchi
The final whistle was met by whistles from the Atalanta support, whose message was clear: the team must offer more in the next round. There is little time to repair the evening’s shortcomings, with Atalanta due at the Franchi on Thursday night to face Fiorentina.
For Sarri, the concern is not merely that his side surrendered leads twice. It is that another chaotic match has arrived while his resources are shrinking, and with Bellanova now added to an already crowded treatment room.
