GIAN PIERO GASPERINI

Italy's transformation from a team that failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup into an attack-minded juggernaut can be traced back to Serie A teams like Atalanta and Sassuolo.

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)MILAN Atalanta gave some much-needed joy to the city of Bergamo as it beat Sassuolo 4-1 in a a poignant Serie A match on Sunday, starting again from where it left off more than three months ago. Atalanta started again where it left off 112 days after it played its last Serie A match, with its attractive style of attacking play. Zapata added a second after the break and Atalanta also had penalty appeals waved away on a tight decision by the video assistant referee. 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.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 file photo, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini gives instructions during the Champions League group C soccer match between Atalanta and Shakhtar Donetsk at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)MILAN When Atalanta takes to the field on Sunday, the match will hold an extra element of poignancy. The extent of what happened in Bergamo is difficult to remedy with whatever type of endeavor, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said on Saturday. Atalanta won that first-leg match 4-1, and won the return leg 4-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League in its first ever season in the competition. The Champions League will now finish with a mini-tournament in Lisbon in August.

The Major League Soccer Players Association has announced the ratification of the CBA. It was the only positive case after the Premier League tested a further 1,197 players and club staff. ___The Premier League says one person was found to have the coronavirus after the fifth round of testing of players and staff at soccer clubs. That applies to every stop on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and the developmental Korn Ferry Tour. The first event is the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, on the PGA Tour.

When Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was struggling with the coronavirus in mid-March, the prospect of entering Bergamos hospital which was overflowing with COVID-19 patients at the time made him fear for his life. The 62-year-old Gasperini started feeling sick on March 9, a day before Atalanta played at Valencia in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. With the virus advancing rapidly across Europe, the second leg in Valencia was played without fans. Previously the only member of Atalanta who was confirmed as testing positive for the virus was reserve goalkeeper Marco Sportiello. Atalanta can help Bergamo recover, while respecting the pain and those in mourning, Gasperini said.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The coach of Italian soccer club Atalanta says he acquired COVID-19 and was concerned for his life in mid-March. Gian Piero Gasperini tells the Gazzetta dello Sport that he started feeling sick on March 9, a day before Atalanta played at Valencia in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. It seemed like a war. At night, I would think, If go in (the hospital), what will happen to me?Gasperini said he quickly recovered without checking into the hospital and didnt confirm he had the virus until the entire Atalanta team was tested 10 days ago. ___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports