Gian Piero Gasperini is disappointed with the result. The match ends in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United, who scored an injury-time equaliser, but the coach is extremely satisfied with the performance of his team and praises them: “The lads did well”.
Coach, you went so close! You don’t want to think about it.
“No. What a terrible and horrific competition this is. It’s almost like against Paris Saint Germain
or something like that. But, at the same time, this competition is fantastic. You get to face some incredible champions. Ronaldo’s ability to kick the ball was enormous. We have to be proud [of what we did]. Everybody says that. This doesn’t help us feel less disappointed but the lads did well. They scored and conceded in the final minutes of the first half. They started well in the second half and the game seemed to have been killed off.”
What did you lack, coach?
“You can’t always talk about what has lacked. This is Atalanta. They did amazing! People are always complaining about what’s lacking, but there are strong opponents to face, who do great things. We were not playing against… We did great! Let’s look at what we’ve done and not at what we have lacked.”
Indeed, that was actually to say that we should be proud of this team, of what they’ve done and how far they’ve come.
“We’ll realise over time what it means to play in this competition, against these powers. Atalanta play for it and play on a par or even better than these teams. This makes me incredibly satisfied. If you win these matches, they remain in the history of the club, of course. You always risk to… This year is a bit like this. We claim a draw and it’s all about what’s lacking. If we lose, it’s the end of the world. We’re sitting fourth in the league and we’re playing in these Champions League matches. I don’t like this thing about this year. Luckily, I must say that the fans gave a different answer tonight. The fans use their own head, the way they spurred the team. Tonight was magical. Then I know it’s sad.”
Did you manage to get emotional?
“When you’re playing, you’re nervous and, honestly, we had so much adrenaline. We had more adrenaline than emotion and we were fully convinced it was done.”
Now, in the Champions League, you’ll play for it against the Swiss and the Spanish.
“It’s a tough group, we need to score six points and scoring six points and winning away to Young Boys is tough. Winning against Villarreal is tough as well. I don’t know what Young Boys and Villarreal will do, it’s going to be tough even for them. The result that annoys us the most is if Villarreal win. But the math is there, everyone can see it. With two matchdays to go, the math is easy to do.”