Defeating Atalanta, Liverpool Remains Eliminated In The Europa League

Atalanta eliminated Liverpool in the Europa League despite losing 1-0 through a Mohamed Salah (right) penalty. (X/@Atalanta_BC)

JAKARTA - Liverpool were eliminated in the Europa League despite a 1-0 win over Atalanta in the second match of the quarter-finals at Gewiss Stadium, Friday, April 19, 2024 in the morning WIB. Atalanta who qualified for the semifinals on a 3-1 aggregate.

Istanbul's miracle in the 2005 Champions League final and 2019 Champions League semifinals failed to repeat itself. The heroic events of the Reds forces were left behind but were then able to turn things around

In the final in Istanbul against AC Milan, Liverpool were immediately 3-0 behind in the first half.

However, Steven Gerrard et al managed to equalize the score to 3-3 in the second half. They then appeared as champions after winning on penalties.

In the semifinals of 2019 Liverpool met Barcelona. In the first leg, Liverpool, which has been handled by Jurgen Klopp, lost 3-0 at Camp Nou.

However, in the second match at Anfield, Liverpool, who lost Mohamed Salah, won 4-0. Like in 2005, Liverpool then emerged as champions.

The situation was different when Liverpool played their second quarter-final match this time. Liverpool have lost 3-0 at home. This is a surprise because Atalanta was able to beat the hosts with a fairly large score.

The result made Klopp realistic. According to him, it was difficult for Liverpool to repeat the 2019 success because the situation was not the same. They managed to turn things around because of the second match at Anfield.

However, at the duel at Atalanta's home, Virgil van Dijk et al almost repeated the scenario. Liverpool were awarded a penalty when the game had only been running for seven minutes.

The penalty was given after Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross hit Matteo Rugeri's arm. The referee had time to review the incident via VAR. As a result, Ruggeri was declared to have touched the ball and the referee pointed to the spot.

Salah completed the penalty after his shot outwitted goalkeeper Juan Musso.

In the 2019 match, Divock Origi who carried out the penalty execution. After Origi's goal, Liverpool players are increasingly eager to catch the goal deficit. As a result, The Kop was able to add three more goals.

But now Liverpool have failed to do so. They had difficulty breaking through Atalanta's strong defense. Gian Piero Gasperini coach implemented a pretty good and solid defensive strategy.

There was no additional goal from Liverpool until the end of the match. The 1-0 score lasted until the final whistle sounded. Atalanta also qualified for the semifinals after winning 3-1 on aggregate. In the top four, La Dea met Marseille who got rid of Benfica.

"We are proud to be able to get rid of the big team handled by the big manager. We played amazingly after the penalty. We should have scored like in the first match at Liverpool," said Gasperini.

"Now, we are focused on the next match," he said again.