Gian Piero Gasperini’s return to Bergamo ended in frustration as Roma slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Atalanta, their third consecutive away loss in Serie A, while the hosts continued their fine run with a fourth win in five league matches.
Roma were handed an early chance to take control when Paulo Dybala intercepted an underhit backpass from Ederson after seven minutes and released Evan Ferguson.
The striker was denied by Marco Carnesecchi, and Berat Djimsiti raced back to head Ferguson’s looping rebound off the line.
Atalanta responded almost immediately and made their pressure count five minutes later. Nicola Zalewski’s corner caused chaos in the Roma area, Mile Svilar failed to deal with it and Giorgio Scalvini forced the ball over the line, with VAR eventually confirming the goal after a lengthy check.
“It’s disappointing because we started the game well,” Gasperini said afterwards. “We had a big chance early on, but small details decided everything.”
The hosts pressed for a second before the break, with Zalewski wasting a promising opening and Gianluca Scamacca curling narrowly wide.
Scamacca later thought he had doubled the lead with a powerful header from Lorenzo Bernasconi’s cross, only for another long VAR review to rule the goal out for offside in the build-up.
Roma pushed harder in the second half, Ferguson forcing Carnesecchi into a sharp save and Matias Soule testing the goalkeeper at his near post, but clear-cut chances remained scarce.
With the visitors unable to find a breakthrough, Atalanta nearly sealed the points late on when Bernasconi fired just wide, while Dybala’s acrobatic effort drifting away summed up Roma’s afternoon.
“We lacked that final touch,” Gasperini admitted. “The performances are there, but we are not being rewarded.”
The defeat is Roma’s fourth in six league matches, all by a single-goal margin, further denting their title hopes, while Atalanta comfortably avoided consecutive home defeats and continued to build momentum.
