Alejandro “Papu” Gómez scored a stunning goal as Atalanta routed FC Midtjylland 4-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Duván Zapata set up that goal and the Colombia forward also scored — and had a hand in his side’s third goal — as Atalanta got its second season in the Champions League off to a great start.
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Alejandro “Papu” Gómez scored a stunning goal as Atalanta routed FC Midtjylland 4-0 in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.
Liverpool won 1-0 at Ajax in the other Group D match.
Cristian Romero acrobatically knocked down Rafael Tolói’s cross and Zapata fired it into the far corner. Zapata also scored Atalanta’s first Champions League goal last season.
Zapata was also involved three minutes from halftime as his effort was parried by Midtjylland goalkeeper Jesper Hansen but Luis Muriel turned in the rebound.
FC Midtjyllands Pione Sisto, left, and Atalanta's Marten De Roon in action during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)
Zapata also hit the post early on.
Alejandro Gomez from Atalanta, second left, celebrates scoring during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)
Liverpool won 1-0 at Ajax in the other Group D match.
Host Midtjylland was making its first appearance in the Champions League group stage. Atalanta had appeared in the competition for the first time last year and remarkably reached the quarterfinals.
Atalanta, which lost its Champions League opener last year 4-0, broke the deadlock in the 26th minute.
Atalanta's Duvan Zapata celebrates scoring during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)
Cristian Romero acrobatically knocked down Rafael Tolói’s cross and Zapata fired it into the far corner. Zapata also scored Atalanta’s first Champions League goal last season.
Midtjylland almost leveled in the 34th when Frank Onyeka headed a corner wide but shortly after the Danish side found itself further behind.
Zapata held up the ball and laid it off to Gómez who thumped a fantastic shot into the back of the net from outside the area.
Atalanta's Duvan Zapata, right, and FC Midtjyllands Jens-Lys Cajuste in action during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)
Zapata was also involved three minutes from halftime as his effort was parried by Midtjylland goalkeeper Jesper Hansen but Luis Muriel turned in the rebound.
Aleksei Miranchuk came on for Zapata 10 minutes from time for his Atalanta debut and curled in his side’s fifth nine minutes later.
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FC Midtjyllands Frank Onyeka, left, and Atalanta's Luis Muriel in action during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)
FC Midtjyllands Pione Sisto, left, and Atalanta's Marten De Roon in action during the Champions League group D soccer match between FC Midtjylland and Atalanta at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, Wednesday Oct. 21, 2020. (Henning BaggerRitzau Scanpix via AP)