Debutants Atalanta Progress To UCL Last Eight
11 March, 2020
UEFA Champions League
End result: Valencia 3-4 Atalanta (4-8 agg.)
Date: 10 March 2020
Venue: Mestalla
UEFA Champions Group debutants Atalanta progressed to the quarter-finals with a 8-4 aggregate over Valencia, with Josip Iličić bagging four goals in the next leg.
Valencia made three alterations, with Francis Coquelin, Ferran Torres and and Rodrigo Morena taken to the fore as they looked to overturn a 4-1 first-leg loss.
The hosts got off to a terrible start because they conceded a penalty after only two minutes after Mouctar Diakhaby brought down Ilicic inside box on the byline. The Slovenia foreign stepped up and made noe mistake from 12-yards out.
The Spanish side levelled matters in the 21st minute after Kevin Gameiro pounced on a blunder by Jose Luis Palomino at the trunk and fired home from close range.
Valencia were pressing to get ahead following the half-hour mark nonetheless they conceded another penalty with 3 minutes left of the initial stanza after a handball by Diakhaby, which allowed Ilicic to complete his brace.
Atalanta nearly bagged 5 minutes following the break, with Remo Freuler denied by the woodwork but the hosts levelled concerns a minute down the road through Gameiro' close-collection header for his brace from Torres' cross.
The Spanish outfit took the lead in a sensational fashion in the 67th minute after Torres spotted Sportiello off his line from the edge of the box and lobbed an excellent strike over the Italian shot-stopper to make 6-4 on aggregate.
Valencia's celebrations were halted just four a few minutes later after Ilicic broke away on a good counter-attack and drilled home a strike in to the bottom corner to complete his hat-trick.
Ilicic continued to seal the get for Atalanta within the last eight minutes after firing a strike to the left side of te content from Freuler's through ball to make it four goals on the night time as the Serie A outfit advanced to the previous eight.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
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