Gasperini's substitutions revive Atalanta against Cagliari to stay atop Serie A

MILAN (AP) — A week after being named Serie A coach of the month, Gian Piero Gasperini showed why he is also a contender for coach of the year again.

Gasperini’s substitutions had an immediate impact as Atalanta won at lowly Cagliari 1-0 on Saturday for a club record 10th straight league victory. That ensured Atalanta will end the weekend on top of the table.

Atalanta remained two points above second-placed Napoli, which fought back to beat Udinese 3-1.

Ninth-placed Juventus remained the only unbeaten team in Serie A, but only just, when a stoppage-time penalty saw it snatch a 2-2 draw at home against bottom club Venezia.

Atalanta struggled to break down Cagliari in the first half and had Marco Carnesecchi to thank for it not being behind at the interval. The visiting goalkeeper pulled off impressive stops, including a fantastic triple save before the break.

Gasperini was clearly not happy with his team and made three changes at halftime and Atalanta immediately improved.

The coach made another two substitutions in the 64th minute, sending on the fresh legs of Nicolò Zaniolo and Lazar Samardzic for Mario Pasalic and Charles De Ketelaere.

The duo helped to break the deadlock two minutes later. Samardzic found Raoul Bellanova on the right side of the area and he knocked it back for Zaniolo to slot into the near bottom corner from close range.

Gasperini, who has been in charge of Atalanta for eight years, was the coach of the year in 2019 and 2020. Last week, he picked up the monthly award for November.

Atalanta won the Europa League last season but has never won Serie A. It achieved its highest finish of third place three times under Gasperini.

Cagliari gave an impressive performance but remained just two points above the relegation zone.

Juventus was held to a fourth straight draw in Serie A but the Bianconeri will be relieved as they needed a Dusan Vlahovic penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to avoid losing their unbeaten record.

Just three days after an impressive win over Manchester City in the Champions League, Juventus appeared set to suffer a shock defeat to Venezia until visiting defender Antonio Candela was somewhat harshly penalized for handball.

Jay Idzes headed Venezia in front seven minutes from time after Mikael Egill Ellertsson canceled out Federico Gatti’s opener for Juventus.

It would have been Venezia's first Serie A victory over Juventus in more than 60 years.

Napoli recovered from a dismal week in which it lost the Serie A lead and went out of the Italian Cup after two straight losses — both to Lazio.

Napoli also went behind in the 22nd minute on Saturday when Udinese was awarded a penalty for a Stanislav Lobotka handball.

Alex Meret parried Florian Thauvin's spot kick but he pushed it back only to the Udinese captain, who fired the rebound into the opposite corner.

Romelu Lukaku leveled five minutes after the break after running onto Scott McTominay's throughball and holding off Lautaro Giannetti.

The Udinese defender was even more unfortunate in the 76th when he attempted to clear David Neres' shot but succeeded only in turning it into his own net. Frank Anguissa sealed the win five minutes later.

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Juventus' Federico Gatti scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Venezia at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Venezia's fans cheer during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Venezia at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic reacts during the Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Venezia at the Juventus Stadium in Turin, Italy on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's David Neres fights for the ball with Udinese's Kingsley Ehizibue during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Napoli at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Florian Thauvin, right, celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Napoli at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Udinese's Florian Thauvin, left, scores a goal during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Napoli at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the 1-1 goal for his team during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Napoli at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Napoli's Romelu Lukaku celebrates after scoring the 1-1 goal for his team during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Napoli at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP)

Atalanta's midfielder Mario Pasalic shoots at the goal during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Atalanta at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)

Atalanta's streaker Nicolò Zaniolo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Atalanta at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)

Atalanta's coach Gian Piero Gasperini shouts instructions during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Atalanta at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)

Atalanta's streaker Nicolò Zaniolo celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari Calcio and Atalanta at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)