Atalanta edge out spirited Arezzo in entertaining friendly

Atalanta made a disastrous start to their pre-season friendly against visiting Arezzo on Saturday, finding themselves two goals down within eight minutes. Arezzo's Antonio Arena opened the scoring in the first minute before Juan Illanes doubled their advantage just seven minutes later, leaving the home crowd stunned. It was a wake-up call for the Serie A side, who would need to dig deep to salvage something from the contest.

The turning point came after the interval when Ibrahim Sulemana pulled one back in the 49th minute, breathing fresh life into Atalanta's performance. Éderson restored parity with a well-taken goal in the 64th minute, levelling the match at 2-2 and shifting the momentum decisively in the hosts' favour. The Brazilian midfielder's intervention proved crucial as Atalanta found their rhythm and began to control proceedings.

Nikola Krstović settled the affair with a clinical finish in the 71st minute, giving Atalanta a 3-2 lead that they managed to hold until the final whistle. The Serbian striker's goal appeared to have broken Arezzo's spirit, despite their earlier promise, and the hosts weathered any late attempts from their visitors to see out the victory.

Atalanta's comeback performance will have pleased manager Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of the new season, though the early lapses in concentration will need addressing. For Arezzo, the defeat was disappointing after such a bright start, but they showed enough quality to suggest their pre-season preparation is on track. The friendly served its purpose for both sides as summer preparations continue.