In a European away match back in 2019, when Atalanta was in their first Champions League experience, Gasperini said a phrase repeated several times in the following years. In the Champions League you don’t lose, you either win or you learn. It was the preamble to a 5-1 scored by Malinovskyi, on a penalty, for the initial 0-1. Then a hail of goals, in particular from Raheem Sterling who had made a clear difference. Now Sterling plays for Arsenal who, against the Nerazzurri, could have even lost if it hadn’t been for a super version of Raya on Retegui’s penalty.
Last night Atalanta returned to victory in the Champions League, three years after the last time, when they won against the Young Boys in the second match of the group in Bergamo. Then came the draw against Manchester United, with Cristiano Ronaldo picking up the joker in the last minute of the game, then the defeat against Villarreal: the first match postponed to the following day due to a fair amount of snowfall in Bergamo. As with Como, the postponements do not lead very well.
Lookman is back in his best form. The 2-0 goal definitively addressed the match, returning to the victory that had been missing since May. Defeated against Real Madrid in the Super Cup final, drawn against Arsenal. But, more generally, the feeling is that Atalanta no longer has to learn, but that they have developed the ability to win even without suffering. A European dimension that it didn’t have five years ago.