Atalanta 0-1 Lazio: Isaksen strike continues hosts' poor league run

Atalanta's Serie A woes continued as they fell to a third-straight defeat against Lazio, who themselves boosted their top four hopes.

Atalanta's poor Serie A run continued on Sunday as Gustav Isaksen scored the only goal to seal a 1-0 win for Lazio at the Gewiss Stadium.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side have now lost their last three league games without scoring, doing so for the first time since 2014 under Stefano Colantuono (four in a row).

Atalanta now find themselves 10 points behind leaders Inter with seven games of their season left, with the result leaving them third in the standings.

A lacklustre first half saw both teams struggle in front of goal, with the first 45 minutes ending with no shots on target and a combined expected goals (xG) total of just 0.2.

Mateo Retegui was the first to test Christos Mandas four minutes after the restart, but it was Lazio who hit the front in the 53rd minute through Isaksen.

Mandas' punt forward was poorly defended by Atalanta, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru heading the ball into Isaksen, who finished past Marco Carnesecchi on the slide.

Atalanta were unable to find a leveller from then on, with Lazio themselves boosting their hopes of a Champions League spot, moving to within a point of the top four.

Data Debrief: Lazio super-subs stun blunt Atalanta

Lazio have so often relied on an impact from the bench, with Isaksen providing the decisive blow after being introduced into the action. He has now scored four goals in 31 appearances this season, the most he has managed in Serie A.

Marco Baroni's side have now scored 16 goals from substitute players in Serie A this campaign, at least six more than any other opponent (AC Milan and Parma have 10).

But it was another miserable day for Atalanta, who could see their hopes of finishing in the Champions League places fade away after a poor recent run in front of goal. They have now gone four consecutive home games without scoring for the first time in Serie A since 2004.

They also ended the first half without a shot on target in the last two Serie A matches. The last time Atalanta failed to hit the target in the first 45 minutes in two consecutive matches in the competition was in February 2021.