JAKARTA - Atalanta almost made history to qualify for the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time when until the 90th minute they were one goal ahead of Paris Saint-Germain. However, Les Parisiens' two late goals ruined everything.
Since the 26th minute, Atalanta has been caring for a dream of stepping through Mario Pasalic's only goal. They struggled to maintain that advantage in a match that was held at the Da Luz Stadium, Lisbon, Portugal, Wednesday local time.
Paลกaliฤ has 12 goals & 7 assists this season๐ช # UCL pic.twitter.com/omDc06TKaj
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 12, 2020
"I can only thank the players for the hard work. We are only an inch away (from the win)," said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini after the match as reported by Antara, Thursday.
Unfortunately, Atalanta failed to defend the 1-0 advantage, who was unable to get out of the pressure for most of the second half, especially after PSG brought in Kylian Mbappe.
In the dying minutes of the match Marquinhos and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored to turn things around and PSG won 2-1.
"Often in the Champions League it is the little details that make the difference," said Gaperini after the match.
"Whether it's a set piece situation, momentum or several situations, these details often determine who goes through and who gets knocked out," he added.
The defeat ended the sweet story of Atalanta's Champions League debut, which started three defeats but turned into a surprise when they escaped the Group C stage.
A stunning UCL debut from ๐ฎ๐น @Atalanta_BC, who gave so much to the competition ๐๐๐ # UCL pic.twitter.com/HX5xFRHjm3
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 12, 2020
Meanwhile for PSG, this victory is a special gift on their 50th anniversary. Manager Thomas Tuchel, who accompanied PSG using assistive devices due to a left foot injury, joked about how he would have celebrated victory if he had not been in that condition.
"Maybe today you will see me jogging 40 meters away, but whatever it is it's the club's 50th birthday, and obviously this is an unforgettable moment," said Tuchel.
According to Tuchel, PSG have beaten their mental problems in the Champions League since eliminating Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, when overturning a 1-2 deficit in the first leg to 3-2 on aggregate in the next leg.
"I think we overcame that in the second leg against Dortmund," he said.
โค๏ธ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ pic.twitter.com/0aGVQkaxg3
- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 12, 2020
PSG's progress to the semifinals of this season's Champions League is the second time for Les Parisiens after 1994/95 when they were beaten by AC Milan. It is also the first time since Qatari funds have flowed to the French capital team a decade ago.
Thus, PSG will now be waiting for the winner of another quarter-final match between RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid which was held today.
๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ! ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ซ๐ท Stoppage time goals from Marquinhos & Choupo-Moting send Paris into the semis! #UCL
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 12, 2020
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