Atalanta midfielder Davide Zappacosta turned the ball into his own net in the 47th minute on November 2nd, doubling Parma's lead at home and helping condemn Maurizio Sarri's side to a 0-3 defeat that left la Dea stranded in 13th place on 11 points after ten Serie A matches.
The timing makes it worse than the moment itself. Giovanni Fabbian had given Parma the opener four minutes before half-time, and Zappacosta's deflection two minutes into the second half killed whatever slim hope of a comeback Atalanta might have carried into the dressing room. Simone Lontani's long-range strike at the 58th minute completed the rout. Sarri's side had conceded three goals at home without reply, and the supporters made their feelings known at the final whistle.
For Zappacosta, now 34, the own goal crystallises a difficult start to the season. Across eight Serie A appearances he has contributed one assist and no goals, carrying an average rating of 6.32 — functional, but not the kind of number that silences doubters when results are collapsing around him. His AI overall of 65 out of 100 reflects a player operating within his ceiling rather than above it, which is precisely what Atalanta need from their experienced heads right now and are not consistently getting.
The broader picture at Bergamo is one of structural fragility. Three wins, two draws, and five defeats in ten matches, with 20 goals conceded, tells a story of a backline that has not held firm often enough. The 4-4 draw against Frosinone a week earlier — in which Atalanta led 4-3 with eight minutes remaining — and the 2-2 at Fiorentina after that suggest the defensive problems are not confined to one bad afternoon.
Sarri has spoken publicly about the need for greater intensity, and the club responded to the Parma defeat by sending the squad into a training retreat. A UEFA Europa Conference League fixture against Kairat Almaty arrives as an immediate opportunity to reset, though European competition offers a different kind of pressure rather than relief from it.
Zappacosta is experienced enough to absorb an own goal without it defining him, but at 13th in the table with the season already a quarter gone, Atalanta cannot afford to keep absorbing self-inflicted damage.