Gian Piero Gasperini revealed his deep disappointment after his Atalanta side had what would have been a glorious Champions League victory against Paris Saint-Germain snatched from them in the final seconds on Wednesday.
The Serie A side
were leading the quarter-final 1-0 heading into the final minute in Lisbon but
were dumped out of the competition in brutal fashion thanks to last gasp goals
from Marquinhos and Eric Choupo-Moting.
“I must say that
there is great regret, we came very close, it was very close. It looked as it
we could do it, pull off a great achievement,” Gasperini said to Sky
Sport.
“We can take
satisfaction from the experience, our Champions League growth. It looked as if
we had done it.”
Wednesday’s defeat
was the cruellest way to end what has nonetheless been another remarkable
season for the side from Bergamo, one of the worst-hit cities during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Traditionally an
also-ran, Atalanta finished third in Serie A for the second season in a row and
enchanted fans across Europe with flamboyant football that led to them scoring
98 times in the Italian top flight.
However once Kylian
Mbappe was introduced in the second half PSG began to turn the screw and
Atalanta eventually gave way.
“Mbappe’s coming
into the game, combined with the presence of Neymar, changed things for PSG,”
Gasperini told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“His entry gave an
energy to PSG who were losing the match, it was fundamental because of what he
brought to the game.
“The equaliser,
above all, leaves us with some bitterness. But PSG has a good chance of
reaching the final.”
