Duvan Zapata scored a hat-trick as Atalanta destroyed lowly Lecce 7-2 on Sunday to strengthen their grip on the Champions League spots in a Serie A weekend ravaged by the coronavirus outbreak.
Eleven days after they thrashed Valencia in their last match Gian Pier Gasperini’s side showed why they are considered one of the most exciting teams in Europe with a breathtaking second half display that blitzed their promoted opponents.
The teams went into the break level as Lecce defender Giulio Donati made it 2-2 in the 40th minute.
However the second period was one-way traffic once Josip Ilicic classily slotted home his side’s third, and Zapata — who headed home Atalanta’s second midway through the first half — completed his treble with two goals in eight minutes to seal the three points.
Luis Muriel then made it six with three minutes left when he scored on the rebound after his own shot bounced out off the post, and Ruslan Malinovskyi completed the rout in stoppage time.