UECL: Atalanta Ease to Comfortable Conference League Win Over Pafos

Atalanta Vs Pafos

Atalanta beat Pafos 3-1 in the UEFA Conference League as goals from Eljif Elmas, Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca secure La Dea's first win in Europe this season.

Elmas, Raspadori and Scamacca on target as Atalanta cruise past Pafos. Atalanta eased to a comfortable Conference League win over Pafos...

Atalanta avoided a third straight defeat in UEFA's main draw as they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Pafos to kick off their Conference League campaign in style at the New Balance Arena.

La Dea have endured a difficult run of late, with their weekend win over Venezia ending a three-game losing streak, but they never looked in danger of leaving without all three points.

In fact, they were three goals ahead by the break against a lacklustre Pafos side and needed less than 60 seconds to break the deadlock when Eljif Elmas swept into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

There was hardly a flurry of chances in the early exchanges, but the next effort, which arrived just after the quarter-hour mark, almost found the net as Radoslaw Majecki superbly tipped Giacomo Raspadori's stinging strike behind for a corner.

Almost immediately, Atalanta were gifted a golden chance to double their lead when Bruno Felipe brought down Nicola Zalewski inside the area and, from the spot, Raspadori sent Majecki the wrong way. The striker was forced off, however, after picking up an injury during his run-up to the penalty.

Pafos had a couple of chances to halve the deficit, but Lele spurned a glorious opening when he dragged wide with only Marco Carnesecchi to beat, and they too suffered a fitness setback when captain David Luiz limped off with what looked like a hamstring issue.

On the stroke of half-time, Atalanta put the game to bed as Gianluca Scamacca Raspadori’s replacement slotted into the bottom corner after Charles De Ketelaere’s clever through ball.

Atalanta did not let their grip on the game slip after the break, with Zalewski forcing another fine save from Majecki with an angled effort that was heading for the top corner. In truth, though, Atalanta did not need to push for more goals and were able to move the ball around with relative freedom for much of the second half.

There were some promising openings to further extend their lead, but they lacked their earlier cutting edge in front of goal and were unable to add to the scoreline.

Match Statistics 

As a result, they have now won four of their last five home games and will hope back-to-back victories can provide a platform for a sustained upturn in form.

What a way to begin the #UECL campaign! 🤩 https://t.co/GtEndkCjGs

— UEFA Conference League (@Conf_League) October 15, 2026

Pafos, meanwhile, have now failed to win in their last nine away games in UEFA competition, although they at least ended a run of six such matches without a goal as Biel Teixeira grabbed a late consolation.