Serie A: Atalanta Boost Top-Six Hopes with 3-0 Win Over Lecce

De Ketelaere stars as Atalanta cruise past Lecce

Atalanta moves to within a point of Serie A top six with convincing win over Lecce, fueled by goals from Scalvini, Krstovic, and Raspadori.

Charles De Ketelaere plays key role in Atalanta's 3-0 victory over Lecce, helping La Dea edge closer to European qualification...

Atalanta has boosted their hopes of securing a top-six finish in Serie A after a convincing 3-0 victory over Lecce at the Stadio Via del mare. The win has taken La Dea to within a point of the top six in the Serie A standings, marking their third consecutive away victory over Lecce for the first time ever in the top flight.

AS Roma's crushing defeat at Inter Milan earlier in the weekend opened the door for Atalanta to enhance their European qualification ambitions, but they started slowly in Salento. 

Luckily for Atalanta, Lecce have the division's least effective attack, and they only managed one early chance to break the deadlock. Sadik Fofana blazed a shot high over the bar, having been picked out by a Ylber Ramadani cross.

Once Raffaele Palladino's men got going, it was clear that Charles De Ketelaere was their danger man. The Belgian was denied by a strong save from Lecce captain Wladimiro Falcone after he had linked up with Nikola Krstovic. 

The Atalanta opener duly arrived just before the half-hour mark, with De Ketelaere again involved. This time, he found Giorgio Scalvini, who breezed past Oumar Ngom and lashed home his third goal of the season - two of which have come against Lecce.

Atalanta continued to press forward and were perhaps disappointed not to head into the interval with a greater lead. Nikola Krstovic went close to scoring against his former side twice, only to head over, before a more powerful strike was denied by Falcone.

Lecce's failure to register a single shot on target before the break prompted boss Eusebio Di Francesco to introduce Omri Gandelman at the break, but Atalanta remained on top after the restart. 

Three points for Atalanta! 👏#LecceAtalanta pic.twitter.com/NQQKUARbjl

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 6, 2026

Lecce narrowly avoided going two goals down when Ederson's tap-in was ruled out by the offside flag. Meanwhile, Falcone made a crucial save by rushing off his line to dispossess the threatening De Ketelaere.

Atalanta's second goal was inevitable, with De Ketelaere playing a starring role. The Belgian found Krstovic, who slotted the ball into the bottom corner at his former ground, marking the seventh goal of his last nine away goals. 

Charles de Ketelaere is the Panini Player of the Match! 🏆#LecceAtalanta pic.twitter.com/WxwsRV9Khp

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) April 6, 2026

Atalanta were able to ease off the gas in the closing stages, yet still added a third through Giacomo Raspadori's powerful finish. The goal came just moments after another Falcone save, this time denying Ederson.

Lecce remain stuck in the relegation zone, with their winless record against top-half opposition now stretching to 17 games this season. Atalanta, on the other hand, are now unbeaten in six head-to-heads and are serious contenders in the European qualification race.