Atalanta came into this game looking to keep themselves in the Serie A title race, despite their torrid run of form, and La Dea started the game strongly dominating the opening stages of the match.
The visitors took the lead after 21 minutes too, when Charles De Ketelaere bent an effort towards the far side of the goal only to be denied by the right-post, however, Atalanta’s main man Retegui was lurking to prod the rebound into the bottom-left corner.
Retegui’s impact on the game wasn’t over though, as the forward scored his second of the game just four minutes later. This time the goal came after Berat Djimsiti played the ball to the forward before he displayed some excellent footwork to work some space and burying the ball in the bottom-right corner with a crisp left-footed finish.
Things got worse for Paolo Zanetti’s side eight minutes before half-time too. Ederson was the man who added to Verona’s troubles after, driving forward from midfield before bending an effort into the bottom-right corner from just inside the box.
The game was all but over before the break, with Retegui wrapping up his second Serie A hat trick of the season by rifling a strike into the middle of the goal from the right-side of the penalty area.
The opening 10 minutes of the second half were much quieter than the closing stages of the first, but normality resumed after 57 minutes when Retegui found the net for a fourth time.
Some lovely intricate passing released Marten De Roon inside the penalty area before he cut the ball back to Retegui, who placed a fantastic glancing finish into the far bottom-right corner.
Verona went close to scoring a late consolation goal with just 15 minutes left to play, but Jackson Tchatchoua’s strike towards the bottom-left corner was stopped by a fantastic reflex save by Rui Patricio.
Atalanta saw the game out with ease from there though, securing a valuable three points that keep them within four points of league leaders Napoli ahead of their game against Udinese tomorrow evening.
Meanwhile, Verona sit just three points above the bottom three with five of the six teams below them still yet to play this weekend.