Atalanta’s fairytale Champions League debut campaign looks set to continue into the quarter-finals after they thumped Valencia to take a commanding lead into the second leg of the last-16 tie.
Hans Hateboer, with two, Josip Ilicic and a wonder-strike from Remo Freuler saw off the two-time finalists, who were shell-shocked by the pace of their opponents in attack and their incisiveness. There is surely no way back for Albert Celades’ Spanish side.
It has already been a wonderful few months for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, who finished third in Serie A to earn their spot in the competition and then qualified for the knockout stages despite losing their opening three group games.
Their home Champions League matches have been played at Milan’s San Siro because their Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, which is 55km away, does not meet Uefa requirements. But once again their devoted fans made the iconic stadium their own on Wednesday. (Text courtesy BBC)