Atalanta's head coach Gian Piero Gasperini follows the game from the stands after getting a red card during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
MILAN (AP) - Soccer resumed in one of the Italian cities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic with a poignant Serie A match on Sunday as Atalanta gave a much-needed boost to the residents of Bergamo.
Atalanta beat Sassuolo 4-1 in its first Serie A match in 112 days and the first in Bergamo since Feb. 15.
'œThere's a lot going on in the world and Bergamo has been hit hard. This win was for the city, the people, the club. The worst days are behind us, change is coming,'ť Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon wrote in a post on Twitter after the match.
More than 16,000 people have died from the virus in the Lombardy region containing Bergamo, and the small city was one of the epicenters of the outbreak.
Images of a convoy of military trucks driving coffins out of the city because the crematorium couldn't keep up were beamed around the world.
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini - who revealed last month that he acquired COVID-19 - had vowed before the match to help make the people of Bergamo smile again.
'œA first smile. It's nice to say that we're back and we have restarted from where we were stopped,'ť Gasperini said. "It's obvious that some things will never be deleted. But soccer which is entertainment and an incredible passion can help people rejoice again.
'œOur biggest satisfaction will be when fans can return to the stadium because playing in these conditions is really a shame. A win like today with fans would have been a completely different thing.'ť
The minute's silence before kickoff in tribute to those who have died with the coronavirus was accompanied by a video of the city during the crisis, along with the song 'œRinascero, rinascerai'ť (I will be born again, you will be born again).
Serie A has resumed this weekend with four catchup matches. There were two on Saturday and title-chasing Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 2-1 in Sunday's late match.
All matches are being played in empty stadiums. Some fans were outside Atalanta's Gweiss Stadium and they could be heard chanting against the league's governing body.
The match was all but over by halftime following strikes from Berat Djimsiti and Duván Zapata and an own-goal by Sassuolo midfielder Mehdi Bourabia.
Atalanta had also hit the crossbar and had a goal ruled out for handball.
Zapata added a second after the break and Atalanta also had penalty appeals waved away on a tight decision by the video assistant referee. Gasperini was so incensed by the decision that he was sent off for dissent.
Bourabia made up for his own-goal by scoring at the right end in stoppage time.
Atalanta remained fourth but moved six points above Roma in the fight for the final Champions League spot.
Atalanta is playing in its first season in Europe's premier club competition. Many experts have pointed to the round of 16 match between Atalanta and Valencia on Feb. 19 in Milan as one of the biggest reasons why the virus was so deadly in Bergamo. The match has been dubbed 'œGame Zero'ť by the local media.
ANTI-RACISM STANCE
Romelu Lukaku marked his goal by taking a knee.
Lukaku, who is Black, showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement after scoring Inter's opener in the 10th minute - finishing off an impressive team move.
The Belgium forward posted a photo of that moment on social media after the match with the words: "This one is for all the people who's fighting for injustice. I am with you."
Lautaro MartÃnez doubled Inter's lead before Morten Thorsby pulled one back for Samp eight minutes into the second half.
Third-place Inter moved six points behind leader Juventus and five below second-place Lazio. Sampdoria remained a point above the relegation zone.
Sampdoria was one of the teams which announced the highest number of cases of COVID-19, including at least seven players, with the team doctor hospitalized.
Inter's team doctor was also hospitalized with the virus.
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Atalanta's Duvan Zapata celebrates with his teammate Papu Gomez, right, after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Atalanta's Duvan Zapata celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Atalanta's Papu Gomez celebrates a goal that was later disallowed, during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Atalanta's Berat Djimsiti, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Players observe a minute of silence to honor the victims of coronavirus, prior to the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
A view of the empty stadium, because of the coronavirus restriction measures, prior to the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo, in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Atalanta is playing its first match in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Fans wave as the coach of Atalanta team arrives, prior to the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Sassuolo at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. This is the first game to be played in Bergamo since easing of lockdown measures, in the area that has been the epicenter of the hardest-hit province of Italy's hardest-hit region, Lombardy, the site of hundreds of COVID-19 deaths. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Associated Press
Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku, celebrates after he scored his side's first goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The Associated Press
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, center, celebrates with his teammates after he scored his side's second goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The Associated Press
Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, second from left, scores his side's second goal past Sampdoria's goalkeeper Emil Audero during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The Associated Press
Players observe a minute of silence to honor the victims of coronavirus, prior to the start of the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The Associated Press