Kamaldeen Sulemana Strike Sends Atalanta Past Juventus into Coppa Italia Semifinals
Atalanta booked their place in the semifinals of the 2025/26 Coppa Italia with an emphatic home victory over Juventus, as Ghanaian forward Kamaldeen Sulemana made a decisive impact from the bench.
The quarterfinal clash was finely balanced in the opening stages, but Atalanta drew first blood midway through the first half when Gianluca Scamacca calmly converted from the penalty spot in the 27th minute to put the hosts in front.
Despite starting the encounter on the bench — even after an impressive showing against Como last weekend — Kamaldeen was introduced in the second half and wasted little time announcing his presence. Just seven minutes after coming on, the Ghanaian attacker found the back of the net in the 77th minute to double Atalanta’s advantage and effectively put the tie beyond Juventus.
The goal marked Kamaldeen’s third of the season in all competitions. Notably, two of those strikes have come against Juventus, with his other goal recorded earlier in the campaign against Torino, underlining his knack for rising to big occasions.
Mario Pašalić added the finishing touch late on, scoring in the 85th minute to seal a commanding 3-0 win and spark celebrations among the home supporters.
With the victory, Atalanta join Inter as confirmed semifinalists in the Coppa Italia. The remaining spots will be contested by Bologna, Lazio, Como, and Napoli as the competition edges closer to its decisive stages.
