Match report
Atalanta cruise past Pafos after fast start in Conference League opener
Atalanta won 3-1 against Pafos at the New Balance Arena in the opening matchday of the UEFA Europa Conference League league stage. The hosts had the contest effectively settled before the interval, leading 3-0 at half-time, and a late consolation from the visitors changed little.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
The scoring began with the game barely under way. Eljif Elmas put Atalanta ahead in the first minute from a Giacomo Raspadori assist, and Raspadori then converted a penalty in the 18th minute to make it 2-0. Pafos struggled to settle in the face of that early pressure.
Gianluca Scamacca added a third in the 44th minute, set up by Charles De Ketelaere, to send the hosts in with a comfortable cushion. The second half was far quieter until the 88th minute, when Biel pulled one back for Pafos from an Anderson Silva assist.
Atalanta next travel to AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday 18 October, while Pafos host Riga in the Europa Conference League on Thursday 22 October.
Giacomo Raspadori scored from the penalty spot and set up the opening goal for Elmas, earning a match-best rating of 8.2. Charles De Ketelaere also contributed an assist, for Scamacca's goal.
Atalanta had 66 per cent of the possession against 34 per cent for Pafos.
Atalanta beat Pafos 3–1 (half-time 3–0).
Atalanta met Pafos in the UEFA Europa Conference League (League Stage - 1). Kick-off was Thursday, 15 October 2026, 19:00 UTC at New Balance Arena. Referee: Adam Ladeback.
Team pages: Atalanta · Pafos · UEFA Europa Conference League
Key moments
- 1' Goal: Eljif Elmas (assist: Giacomo Raspadori) — 1–0 · Watch Eljif Elmas's goal video (1')
- 18' Goal (penalty): Giacomo Raspadori — 2–0 · Watch Giacomo Raspadori's goal video (18')
- 44' Goal: Gianluca Scamacca (assist: Charles De Ketelaere) — 3–0 · Watch Gianluca Scamacca's goal video (44')
- 88' Goal: Biel (assist: Anderson Silva) — 3–1
Starting line-ups
Atalanta (4-2-3-1)
Pafos (4-3-3)
- 99 Radosław Majecki
- 14 Nicholas Ioannou
- 4 David Luiz (c)
- 3 Samy Mmaee
- 7 Bruno Felipe
- 88 Pêpê Rodrigues
- 26 Ivan Šunjić
- 30 Vlad Dragomir
- 20 Biel
- 18 Lelê
- 8 Domingos Quina
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Atalanta 71%, the draw 19%, Pafos 10%. It finished Atalanta 3–1 Pafos.
A big strength gap puts Atalanta clearly ahead — We give Atalanta 71% mainly because they sit 196 points higher on our strength rating, 1747 to 1551, with the usual home advantage adding to that. The draw sits at 19%, close to the usual 18% for a gap this size, nudged up slightly because both sides' own recent games average a typical 2.5 goals.
Why Atalanta at 71%?
Atalanta sit 196 points higher on our strength rating — 1747 to 1551. Sides with a 160–240-point rating edge at home won 66.8% of 6,577 such games. The 300 most similar past games finished 73–17–10.
Why not higher?
No scored evidence points the other way. 71% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 19% and Pafos at 10%.
Why is the draw only 19%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 17.7%. These teams' recent games average 2.5 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 26.5% of 28,322.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Atalanta vs Pafos final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this UEFA Europa Conference League fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Eljif Elmas's goal against Pafos (1').
- Watch Giacomo Raspadori's goal against Pafos (18').
- Watch Gianluca Scamacca's goal against Pafos (44').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Atalanta 3–1 Pafos. Explore more on the Atalanta and Pafos team pages or the UEFA Europa Conference League page.