UECL | Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-1 Atalanta: Scamacca guarantees European place

UECL | Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-1 Atalanta: Scamacca guarantees European place Gianluca Scamacca scored within minutes of coming off the bench to send Atalanta into the Conference League, eliminating Hapoel Tel-Aviv 1-0 on aggregate. La Dea needed a result on neutral turf at the DVTK Stadium in Miskolc, Hungary after the first leg ended goalless in Bergamo . Charles De Ketelaere was still not ready to start, with Thomas Kristensen, Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana injured. Their Serie A season started at the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Sassuolo. Ederson’s flicked header sent a Lazar Samardzic cross just wide, then Samardzic tested the goalkeeper with a snapshot from distance. BERGAMO, ITALY – AUGUST 20: Lazar Samardzic of Atalanta BC in action during the UEFA Conference League 2026/27 Play Off Round First Leg match between Atalanta BC v Hapoel Tel Aviv at Gewiss Stadium on August 20, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Samardzic was easily the sharpest player in the first half, winning a free kick with a mazy run and then curling the set play just over the bar. Raoul Bellanova pulled back from the by-line for a Nikola Krstovic tap-in, but Fernand Mayembo made a decisive interception. Roei Alkoukin fired just over the bar, while Odilon Kossounou and Sead Kolasinac got in each other’s way on a corner to the back post. BERGAMO, ITALY – AUGUST 23: The Atalanta BC fans show their support during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Sassuolo at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on August 23, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Alkoukin had penalty appeals when Kossounou barged into him, but the referee had a full view and judged it to be shoulder against shoulder, and Marco Carnesecchi plucked a looping Emmanuel Boateng header out of the air with Chico ready for a potential rebound. Krstovic’s scuffed finish was deflected wide on a Nicola Zalewski through ball, while a Mario Pasalic header was too close to the goalkeeper. The deadlock was finally broken by super sub Scamacca, who scored with only his second touch after coming off the bench. A corner was cleared as far as Lorenzo Bernasconi, whose wayward volley turned into an accidental assist for Scamacca to redirect from eight yards. BERGAMO, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Maurizio Sarri, Head Coach of Atalanta celebrates after the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Sassuolo at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on August 23, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Hapoel Tel-Aviv tried to fight back, Carnesecchi’s gloves stung by Alkoukin from 12 yards, then the goalkeeper made a stunning fingertip save to push the Mor Buskila angled drive onto the base of the far post after a corner. Atalanta are in UEFA competition for the seventh time in the last eight years. Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-1 Atalanta (0-1 agg) Scamacca 73 (A) Hapoel Tel-Aviv: Tzur; Coco, Mayembo, Chico, Leidner; Falcao (Ferber 81), Kraev (Kancepolsky 77); Owusu (Toriel 68), Altman (Buskila 77), Alkoukin; Boateng (Dappa 81) Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Bellanova, Kossounou, Scalvini, Kolasinac (Bernasconi 71); Ederson, Gaetano, Samardzic (Pasalic 60); Zalewski (Cassa 84), Krstovic (Scamacca 71), Raspadori (De Ketelaere 60)