Atalanta thrash Verona 5-0 with four from Retegui
VERONA, Italy :Atalanta thrashed lowly Hellas Verona 5-0 in Serie A on Saturday, with Italian striker Mateo Retegui scoring four times including a hat-trick before the break.
Retegui, the league's leading marksman, put Atalanta in front with a quick-fire double in four minutes before Ederson made it 3-0 following a smooth solo run.
Retegui completed his hat-trick just before halftime on a rebound and netted again in the 56th minute, converting a neat pass from Marten de Roon.
Atalanta, who exited the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 1-0 home loss to Bologna, remained third in the standings with 50 points.
They are four points off leaders Napoli and one behind second-placed Inter Milan, with both sides playing their games on Sunday.
Gian Piero Gasperini's men hold a seven-point cushion over fifth-placed Juventus.
Verona, who have the league's worst defence with 53 goals conceded, are 14th on 23 points.
In an action-packed game, Retegui scored the opener from close range in the 21st minute from a rebound.
Charles De Ketelaere hit the far post having dribbled his way into the box and Retegui followed up with a strike into a bottom corner. He doubled the lead with a low shot from inside the box before Brazil midfielder Ederson increased the advantage in the 37th minute.
The 25-year-old capitalised on a costly mistake by Verona midfielder Cheikh Niasse to recover the ball on the halfway line and finished his solo effort with a goal inside the far post.
Retegui put the visitors 4-0 up at the break with a goal that stood after a lengthy VAR review for a potential offside in the build-up.
Having landed another rebound following a free kick, the Italian found the back of the net after Stefan Posch and Isak Hien both hit the post.
Retegui completed the rout after the interval, netting effortlessly to take his tally to 20 league goals this season.
Atalanta, who thrashed Verona 6-1 in the reverse fixture in October, had won only one of their previous six Serie A games after a streak of 11 consecutive wins.
They travel to Club Brugge on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs before welcoming lowly Cagliari in the league on Feb. 15.
Verona will embark on a tough league run when they visit AC Milan next weekend before hosting fifth-placed Fiorentina on Feb. 23 and travelling to Juventus the week after.
