Gian Piero Gasperini is happy and satisfied, as his Atalanta side, in an emergency situation, booked a place in the Round of 16 after also winning the second leg, as they beat Olympiacos 3-0 away. “The Europa League is important to us”, said the coach after the match.

Gian Piero Gasperini, you were welcomed by the Nerazzurri fans’ chants, and it could not be otherwise. This Atalanta side want to stay in the Europa League and this Atalanta side have qualified for the Round of 16.

“I’m undoubtedly happy and satisfied with it, for the team and the many fans that have come to Athens. It’s a competition that we consider important, but it wasn’t as easy as the result said. The team undoubtedly did well. This evening they took the game under control and this result rewards them.”

Gasperini has to make a virtue out of necessity: if he hasn’t got forwards, he mixes things up and then the result comes.

“I must say that we managed to play better technically. We developed our game despite having only midfielders upfront. In the end, we managed to find good passing lines and good geometry. Throughout the match we found the breakthrough and it was easier.”

The whole team put in a great performance, Ruslan Malinovskyi produced a strong display.

“Yes, undoubtedly. We all were very worried. Today we spent a lot of time in front of the TV to try to understand the news that was coming. He’s clearly very involved in this, having many relatives there. However, he felt ready to play and delivered a great performance, scoring two goals. Hopefully, this will give someone a smile during these difficult days.”