Atalanta qualify for the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals: here are the interviews with Marten de Roon and Remo Freuler.

Marten de Roon

Marten de Roon, how satisfied are you from 1 to 10?

“Ten. When you get through the round, you are always fully satisfied. The [Europa League] quarterfinals are surely another great achievement. We won over a very strong opponent. I really liked the way we beat them today, by playing as a team. We gave it our all. It wasn’t easy as we had to struggle. But the spirit we had today… I saw our sliding tackles, everything. I saw it and I liked it. It’s an important step. We can’t always be at our best. It’s not important if we win, draw or lose. It’s very important for me to get such a result.”

Has reaching quarterfinals given you an extra boost for the league as well?

“Yes, a lot. You know, we talked about our difficulties in the league. But this result gives us confidence. We must use it in the League too. Especially, the spirit we had today. It was great.”

Remo Freuler

Remo Freuler, you said on the eve of the match that you had to play as a team. And you did it.

“Yes, I liked the way we managed the duels, the way we played in the first half. We didn’t play so well in the second half. But we struggled together and played as a team. This paid off.”

It wasn’t an easy match as both sides wanted to go through. Both sides were strong. Both sides are attack-minded, even if Bayer [Leverkusen] were more defensive this evening than in the first leg.

“Yes, we were aware that they were a team strong in attack. As we are, too. This evening they played a defensive game in the first half. But they played very well in the second half, playing attacking football. We only went on the counterattack. They dropped off a bit as there was little time left. We didn’t play well in the second half but we won. And this is the most important thing.”

Atalanta are in the Europa League quarter-finals.

“Another historic achievement, right? It’s not over yet, though. We want to go as far as possible. We’re waiting for tomorow’s draw.”