Late Hien Header Seals Dramatic Atalanta Triumph Over Ten-Man Genoa

Key Takeaways:

• Atalanta secured a 1:0 away win at Luigi Ferraris against Genoa after scoring in the 94th minute
• Genoa played with ten men from the 3rd minute following Nicola Leali’s red card
• Atalanta climbed to 9th place on 22 points, while Genoa stayed 17th with 14 points

Match Overview

Atalanta emerged victorious in a tense 1:0 encounter against Genoa at Luigi Ferraris in the 16th round of Serie A, with Isak Hien heading home the only goal deep into injury time. The visitors left it late to clinch three points after Genoa had battled valiantly with ten men for nearly the entire match.

Early Dismissal Shapes Encounter

The hosts found themselves at a disadvantage almost immediately, as goalkeeper Nicola Leali was given a straight red card in the 3rd minute for tripping Daniel Maldini just outside the penalty area. This pivotal moment forced the “Griffins” to play a man down for virtually the whole contest, testing their defensive resilience against an Atalanta side seeking to capitalise on the numerical advantage.

𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀 🚨

𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐙𝐙𝐄𝐑 🔥@Acqua_Lete | #GenoaAtalanta #GoAtalantaGo ⚫🔵 pic.twitter.com/czsorcSleR

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 21, 2025

Missed Opportunities at Both Ends

Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, Atalanta struggled to break down Genoa’s rearguard and failed to establish consistent attacking pressure. Charles De Ketelaere, Gianluca Scamacca, and Nicola Zalewski each saw promising chances go begging, squandering the visitors’ best opportunities during regular time.

Genoa, meanwhile, demonstrated discipline at the back and looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Vitinha and Lorenzo Colombo both had openings to upset the visitors, yet neither could convert under pressure. The hosts’ brave defensive effort brought them close to securing a point until the closing seconds.

Hien Secures Vital Win

The deadlock was finally broken in stoppage time, when Isak Hien rose to head in from a corner during the 94th minute, sealing a dramatic win for the Bergamo outfit. Atalanta, with this victory, moved up to 9th place in the Serie A standings with 22 points, while Genoa remained 17th on 14 points, left to rue their missed chances and costly early dismissal.