Atalanta pecks in attack leave Valencia wounded to death

Valencia must dream, more than ever, with a miracle in Mestalla. All after that in the first leg of the eighth Champions League he was beaten from San Siro by an Atalanta that showed once again that he has a unique offensive gunpowder (4-1). The goals of Hateboer, double, Ilicic and Freuler were fatal for a team that paid expensive absences in their defense and grabs the loophole that opened Cheryshev with his goal.

Bergamo was a deadly trap for Valencia. No San Siro, no. Because Atalanta transferred its goalscorer efficiency from Serie A to the Champions League to overwhelm a cadre that paid expensive absences due to injury, more in some unusual centers (Mangala and Diakhaby) who never knew how to detect the pair of Ilicic and Papu Gomez Gasperini again gave a tactical lesson and his people left a very touched Valencia, which at times did not appear in the Lombard city.

Initially placing Pasalic by Zapata, the Italian coach reinforced the center of the field to nullify Parejo's dominance and in turn provide his attackers with more freedom of movement. His plan went perfectly, as he ran the 15th minute when Domènech had already made the stop of the day in a hand in hand with Ilicic and Papu Gómez had warned of his power in a foul from the front. However, the third time was the charm.

In one of the usual two against one of the Bergamasks in the band, Papu put the center, Gayà arrived late to his mark and Hateboer only had to push the ball to the bottom of the net. The first to confirm that those of Celades seemed the beginners in this type of games and the debutants in eighths a machine with the spirit of Inter or Milan.

Guedes cheered the game before Ilicic left it frozen

In those meetings the match continued, with Atalanta going one after the other with his entire team at the pressure of a Valencia who could not find Guedes and Ferrán. But it was to begin to appear these and the visitors find the occasions before an Italian painting that has little of catenaccio and much of suicide in defense. It was the Spaniard, what an appearance hers this season, the one that hit the wood in the first clear ché, and then the Portuguese made one of the rides that both yearned for in Valencia and on his Maxi pass only being stopped by the Lombard defender , first, and its centrochut brush the wood, then.

The meeting had already been animated, at the end of the break, when the Atalanta was going to hit with another of his pecks. This time in the boots of an Ilicic, omnipresent in all the offensive areas, who received the ball, held with the body and before the scarce exit of the Valencian defense placed the ball in the square to put the second before reaching the tunnel of changing rooms

It seemed difficult the second half to Valencia, close to a very painful blow, and more when Parejo still failed to gain control of the midfield. De Roon, Pasalic and Freuler were harassing the captain ché at all times, who was going to see more closely how the Swiss carried another gun at the bottom of the net. It was before reaching the time of shock, when Freuler received without opposition on the front, put it on his right boot and took the ball to the opposite post of Jaume.

3-0, all Bergamo squeezing in Milan and the fourth blow that was going to come often, not before without a clamorous failure of Maxi after a great pass from Ferrán taking advantage of Gollini's mistake. The Atalanta came out quickly against the counter, Ilicic offside let the ball pass and Hateboer stood alone against Domènech. His double and poker on the scoreboard after reviewing VAR for the position of the Slovenian. The lateral arrivals of Gosens and the Dutch, plus the constant unmarked movements of Pasalic, Papu and Ilicic had already left Celades mortally wounded.

Cheryshev brought hope on the first ball he touched

But the Champions League has moments of hope and these would be opened by Cheryshev. As soon as he jumped into the field, by an exhausted and guttural garrison, the first who touched the Russian from the front, crossed his shot to beat Gollini and give wings to Valencia. A dream of getting closer on the scoreboard that could have grown if Maxi Gómez was right to face, but the Uruguayan in a game of aim to forget, failed to the point that he left the ball behind so that Cheryshev again had the so much that this time the Italian goalkeeper stopped.

20 minutes left and with the entry of Gameiro Valencia went for all. Without the success, yes, that had all the Atalanta during the game. Ferran and Gayà hurt by the bands, Gasperini was replaced with the entry of Zapata and Milanovskyi and the clash was rushing his last moments between Valencian center and Bergamass cons.

All wrong, since the round of eighths had already taken much of itself. Where Milan and Inter made their fief a recognizable fort in Europe, now they are those of Bergamo who dream of reaching unthinkable goals in the old continent. Valencia, for the time being, has not been able to do so with them and is anxious for Mestalla to take them on volandas to turn around a more than complicated tie. Because this Atalanta is offensively a pecking machine that the ché have been able to see first hand. He has to catch up with Cheryshev and discount three weeks.

DATA SHEET

– OUTCOME: Atalanta 4-1 Valencia (Hateboer 15 'and 62', Ilicic 41 'and Freuler 57') (Chershev 66 ').

– ATALANTA: Gollini, Tolói, Palomino, Caldara (Zapata 74 '), Hateboer, Freuler, De Roon, Gosens, Pasalic (Tameze 91'), Papu Gómez (Malinovskyi 80 ') and Ilicic.

– VALENCIA: Jaume Domènech, Wass, Mangala, Diakhaby, Gayà, Kondogbia, Parejo, Soler, Ferrán, Guedes (Cheryshev 65 ') and Maxi Gómez (Gameiro 72').

– REFEREE: Michael Oliver. He showed Hateboer yellow in the Atalanta.

– STADIUM: San Siro.