Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta made history this Thursday by winning the Europa League semi-final second leg against Olympique de Marseille (3-0) and certify their pass to the grand final in Dublinwhere he will play for the first time a match in which a European title is at stake.
The city of Bergamo, in northern Italy, woke up dreaming of reaching a European final for the first time in its history and fell asleep dreaming of winning a European title, a Europa League that would also allow it to play in the Champions League again.
And he achieved it in a deserved, incontestable way, against a run-down Marseille that, away from the Velodrome, was a shadow of what it presented in the first leg. Also, of course, because of a ‘Dea’ who jumped to Gewiss Stadium convinced that she was going to achieve her goal, wanting to show that beating Liverpool in the quarterfinals was no coincidence and that they are clear candidates to lift the title.
It started from minute 1 with dominance, making it clear that the approach of Gasperini, the historic architect and coach of this team, was the same as always. “It’s important not to lose your identity,” the coach said at the time. No sooner said than done. High pressure, individual pairings throughout the field and speed after the steal.
With De Ketelaere, Scamacca, Lookman and Koopmeiners unleashed, the carousel of occasions was not done wait. De Ketelaere crashed with the post after avoiding Pau López and, shortly after, Scamacca, in extraordinary form, against the crossbar after chasing a loose ball inside the area in a corner kick that led to another shot by De Ketelaere who saved the Spanish goal.
The ‘Dea’ hovered around the area of a blurred, outmatched Marseille, unable to stop the Italians. And the goal didn’t take long to arrive. Around the half-hour mark, Lookman’s figure emerged to, from the left-handed profile, in a trademark play, shoot a diagonal with the ball and take a shot from outside the area that, deflected slightly by Gigot, opened the scoring.
Bergamo exploded with joy for the goal, because he saw his team burn Marseille and because he felt inevitably a winner. The first act ended only 1-0, the best news for the French.
Of course, as soon as the second began period, he had a very clear chance, the only one in his party, Ndiayewho missed the ball on Musso and wasted Atalanta’s defensive mistake.
Marseille forgave, but not Gasperini’s team, for which everything came out in the most important duel in its history. Just a few minutes after suffering the visitors’ chance, Ruggeri put a shot into the corner that sealed the duel.
Since then, the party broke out in the stands and in the streets of Bergamo. They turned off Marseille, they shone with their own light and with that of the fireworks that were launched from the stadium.
El Bilal Touré sentenced in added time with a great goal in which he exhibited strength and quality to certify access to the final dreamed of by everyone in Bergamo, for generations and generations. The ‘Dea’ will be, more than deservedly, and with serious options to lift the title, in the grand final of the Europa League in Dublin.
2024-05-09 21:25:11
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