Mario Pašalić got the first of the two Nerazzurri goals at Old Trafford (the second one was scored by Demiral) but, unfortunately, Atalanta were defeated by Manchester United. Here are the interviews with the Croatian midfielder and Danish defender Joakim Mæhle.

Here is Mario Pašalić’s post-match interview:

It’s a pity to be here to comment on a defeat because Atalanta, here at Old Trafford, were really close to getting a result.

“Yes, it’s a pity. We were close, especially after the first half, we thought we could win the match. But it didn’t happen. It’s a pity because these opportunities are unique. It doesn’t happen so often but we’ll have the return fixture in two weeks. We’ll prepare as best as we can to get a result in Bergamo.”

Exactly, to get a result in a match against Manchester United is possible. You’ll have this opportunity at the Gewiss Stadium. Tonight you had an excellent first half. Then, in the second half, the Red Devils’ strengths came out.

“Yes, because people want them to deliver results, as they’re Manchester United, one of the strongest teams. Their individual quality is impressive. It’s normal that they can cause problems for someone. In the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, we perhaps were conceding too much. That’s when they scored. But then I must say we had a few chances to make it 3-1 and change the trend.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Does this game spur you on for the return fixture?

“Of course. In the first half, we saw we can play against them. We scored two goals and created a few more chances. We defended well, which is fundamental. That’s it. We’re close to them and I think we can do even better in the second leg.”

Here’s Joakim Mæhle post-match interview:

What a pity. You deserved more in this match.

“Yes, right now we are very disappointed, especially as we went to the half time having a 2-0 lead. When we were back, we were very confident. But we also knew what was coming in the second half. There was a lot of pressure. They have some good qualities. And there was also a lot of pressure from the stands.”

What have you learned from this game?

“We can take a lot of things from this game. We had a really good first half. We scored two goals. We had also the chance, in the second half, to score with Duván and Malinovskyi. If we had scored 3-1, we’d have won the game.”

Four points on the table and three games to go. The next one will be at the Gewiss Stadium against Manchester United.

“Yes, we are looking forward to it but still we are very confident. We have four points. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any points today. But we can take some good things from this game. We can prepare really well for the next three games. So, we are looking forward to them.”