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Match Report - Leeds United 2-1 Atalanta BC - Victory for United in final pre-season fixture
Saturday, 30th Jul 2016 21:50 by Lucas Monk

Leeds United concluded their preparations for the new season in style by recording an impressive 2-1 win against Serie A side Atalanta in front of 11,832 fans at Elland Road...

Leeds United completed their pre-season schedule with a 2-1 defeat of Italian Serie A side Atalanta this afternoon. A first-half penalty from Chris Wood, along with a first Elland Road goal for Kemar Roofe, saw United run out as deserved victors in their final pre-season outing of the summer.

Lineups

Leeds United

Starting 11: Green, Perico (Coyle 45), Bartley, Bamba, Taylor, Diagouraga (Grimes 62), Vieira (Murphy 82), Mowatt (Phillips 62), Dallas (Sacko 45), Roofe (Botaka 82), Wood (Antonsson 71).

Subs: Silvestri, Turnbull, Berardi, P McKay, Denton, Doukara.

Atalanta B.C.

Starting 11: Bassi; Masiello, Toloi, Raimondi; Conti, Kessie, Kurtic, Spinazzola; D'Alessandro, Paloschi, Gomez.

Subs: Mazzini, Stendardo, Gagliardini, Migliaccio, Freuler, Caldara, Carmona, Petagna, Djimsiti, Marilungo, Drame.

First-Half

The visitors from Bergamo got the game underway, with the home crowd in fine voice. Both sides exchanged possession quite frequently during the early stages, but it would be Atalanta who would have the first sight of goal with 8 minutes played. Alejandro Gomez tried his luck from 25-yards out, but his effort was somewhat tame and Rob Green was able to save it comfortably.

United's first opening would come a minute later. Kemar Roofe did extremely well to cut inside from the left, before narrowly firing over with a right-footed strike. Atalanta responded with an attack of their own just a minute afterwards. Charlie Taylor was called into action, making a crucial block to deny Marco D'Alessandro from inside the area.

18-year-old midfielder Ronaldo Vieira was making his first appearance at Elland Road with the first-team, but despite his young age he was impressing those in attendance. The man from Guinea-Bissau managed to make a vital defensive intervention that Patrick Vieira himself would have been proud of on 15 minutes. Atalanta had surged forward on the break with D'Alessandro, but the former Roma winger was stopped in his tracks as Vieira halted his run with a crunching slide-tackle that was met with deafening applause from the home fans.

There had been many question marks from supporters over 32-year-old trialist Gabriele Perico earlier in the week, but the Italian right-back exhibited real composure to turn behind a dangerous Atalanta cross on 19 minutes. Rob Green collected the resulting corner with ease.

5 minutes later, and the hosts were awarded a penalty-kick after a handball by an Atalanta defender on 24 minutes. There was initially a confused reaction to the referee's decision from the United supporters, but up stepped New Zealand international Chris Wood, who emphatically blasted the ball into the back of the net from 12-yards to hand Leeds a slender 1-0 advantage.

The lead would last just 6 minutes though, as Atalanta showed great resolve to draw level on 31 minutes. Marco D'Alessandro ran onto a beautifully weighted pass before firing a first-time effort past Robert Green and into the net for the equaliser, to the sheer delight of the 140 delirious Atalanta supporters who had made the trip from Bergamo.

That goal sparked the visitors into life, and just 5 minutes later Atalanta's other winger Alejandro Gomez almost turned the game on its head. The diminutive Argentinian stretched out to beat Robert Green with a volley, but Sol Bamba arrived just in the nick of time to hack the ball off the line. United relieved, Atalanta and Gomez peeved.

It had been a battling first-half from both sides, and with just 3 minutes to go until half-time, Gabriele Perico picked up a yellow card for catching Gomez late. That would prove to be the final action of note in the half, and the sides went in level at the break.

Half Time - Leeds United 1-1 Atalanta - Wood (25, pen), D'Alessandro (31)

United boss Garry Monk made two changes during the interval, with Gabriele Perico and Stuart Dallas coming off with Lewie Coyle and Hadi Sacko replacing them. Monk's Italian counterpart Gian Piero Gasperini opted to leave his Atalanta side unchanged for the start of the second-half.

Second-Half

Leeds got the second period underway, but the first chance of the half fell to Atalanta defender Andrea Conti on 50 minutes. The young right-back attempted a volley from long-range, but he could only smash his effort wide of Robert Green's right-hand post.

The game had settled down for a while after Conti's wild effort, and United head coach Garry Monk sent on Matt Grimes and Kalvin Phillips in place of Toumani Diagouraga and Alex Mowatt on 62 minutes, in an attempt to inject his side's midfield with fresh energy.

Not long after that double change, Leeds' Hadi Sacko sprung into action on 67 minutes, putting his blistering pace to good use by hurtling down the right before crossing for Kemar Roofe. The cross was turned behind by Rafael Toloi, but it would matter not, as United would retake the lead from the resulting corner. Kalvin Phillips delivered in a low ball which was turned in by Roofe from close-range, the former Oxford man scoring his first Elland Road goal thanks to the deftest of touches. 2-1 to United on 68 minutes.

Just 3 minutes later and Garry Monk opted to replace Chris Wood with Marcus Antonsson, allowing the Swede a first taste of football at Elland Road as a result.

The visitors Atalanta had struggled to pose a threat in the second-half despite enjoying good quantities of possession. Slovenian midfielder Jasmin Kurtic took matters into his own hands on 73 minutes, firing in a fierce right-footed strike from range that required an excellent fingertip save from Robert Green.

The boys from Bergamo were beginning to threaten, and they did manage to put the ball into the back of the net on 75 minutes only to have the goal chalked off by the referee. Alberto Paloschi, a £6 million summer signing from Swansea, looked to have pulled his side level but he was judged to have been offside after beating Green with a half-volley from close-range.

With 82 minutes played there were cheers for both Kemar Roofe and Ronaldo Vieira as they went off for Jordan Botaka and Luke Murphy respectively. Roofe posed an attacking threat whenever he received possession, and Vieira's all-action midfield display will have no doubt given Garry Monk some food for thought ahead of United's season opener away to QPR next week.

With 7 minutes to go until added time it was the home side's turn to have a goal disallowed for offside. Marcus Antonsson was denied a first Elland Road goal after turning the ball over the line at the back-post, much to the Swede's dismay.

Leeds were looking comfortable with just 3 minutes of added time to play and Atalanta still chasing an equaliser, but the hosts were given one last scare in the 2nd minute of added time. Substitute Guido Marilungo fired in a shot on the turn from inside the box, but United's lead remained intact thanks to another fine save from Robert Green, who managed to beat the powerful shot away to ensure that Leeds were able to celebrate a hard-fought win over tough opposition.

Full Time - Leeds United 2-1 Atalanta - Wood (25, pen), D'Alessandro (31), Roofe (68)

An ideal way for United to complete their pre-season schedule. The game was closely-fought, with both sides providing an entertaining match. Although there were spells when Atalanta were dominating possession, Leeds defended stoutly and were just about good value for the 2-1 win. Credit must firstly be given to the Atalanta team who proved to be organised and testing opposition, and secondly to their 140 fanatical travelling supporters, who vocally supported their side throughout the entirety of the game.

Post-Match Reaction: Garry Monk

United's head coach was understandably delighted after his team were able to secure victory over an experienced Serie A side who boasted many internationals within their squad.

"We’re very happy with the result — you always want to have won your last game,” Monk told leedsunited.com. “The way that we’ve been with results have been good this pre-season. “I thought we could have been a little bit better with the ball, to be honest — I didn’t think we were at our best with the ball.

“On the other hand, I thought we were very good defensively. I thought we limited a very good, tactical side. “I thought we could have been a little bit braver with the ball but we had a lot of young players out there. I don’t want to single anybody out — I like it to be a team effort.

“I’m not disappointed, I just think we need to be that little bit braver with the ball. “Pre-season has been very good for us and everyone has been working in a very good way.

“Everything that I’ve mentioned will come and we’ll get better and better. We’re dealing with young lads who just need that bit of belief in themselves — that will come.

“As we get results, then that confidence will start to show more on the pitch.”

When quizzed about what he made of trialist Gabriele Perico's performance, Monk was full of praise for the Italian, a player who was recently released by Serie B side Cesena. "He's been great this week and today was a good chance to have a look at him. He did well."

Despite Monk's effusive praise of Perico, it remains to be seen as to whether United will opt to offer the Italian trialist a full-time deal. However, reports from Italian newspaper La Gazetta Dello Sport on Thursday claimed that United were considering handing Perico a two-year contract, so a permanent switch to Elland Road for the defender could be in the offing.

Writer's View of The Game

An impressive victory to cap off what has been an intriguing pre-season. I predicted that Atalanta would be a tough opponent but we held our own and that was fantastic to see. I'm really starting to warm to Kemar Roofe, who once again demonstrated why so many clubs were vying for his signature before we swooped in to secure his services for a fee of £3 million. Another player who impressed for me on the day was Gabriele Perico, who did his chances of winning a full-time deal here no harm at all with a fairly solid defensive performance.

But my man of the match however has got to be Ronaldo Vieira. He was unfazed by the atmosphere and the occasion, and his all-action performance was a delight to watch. Combative in the tackle and composed in possession, I genuinely believe that he has a very bright future ahead of him. All in all, it was a solid performance and the result gives the team some momentum going into next week's season opener away to QPR.

Photo: Action Images



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