Defeat Stuttgart, Atalanta Sets Unique Record In Champions League

Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman opened a 2-0 win over Stuttgart in the Champions League match. (X/@Atalanta_BC)

Atalanta set a unique record when they beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0 in the Champions League match at the MHPArena Stadium, Stuttgart, Thursday, November 7, 2024 in the morning WIB.

Atalanta performed brilliantly when playing an away match against Stuttgart. How not, Stuttgart is an opponent who is difficult to beat at home. Even over the past year, the German Bundesliga club has never lost in various competitions.

But Atalanta showed impressive performance. After successfully finishing off Napoli, the leader of the Italian Serie standings, with a convincing score of 3-0. La Dea beat Stuttgart.

The victory made Atalanta set a record as the only team with Inter Milan to never concede and lose in European competitions.

Atalanta played a goalless draw against Arsenal and Celtic. Furthermore, Gian Piero Gasperini's side finished Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 before winning over Stuttgart.

Not only that, the success of winning three points made Atalanta move up to ninth with eight points. Meanwhile, Stuttgart took 27th place with four points.

The success of breaking Stuttgart's unbeaten record in the home game made Atalanta even more confident in finishing the fight in the Champions League. Gasperini as quoted by Football Italia is optimistic that Atalanta can maintain competition because the players' mentality is getting stronger after winning the Europa League.

"We came here with big ambitions. We just had to go through a long journey to win the game because it was difficult to win here," said Gasperini, who was wary of Stuttgart because the German Bundesliga team was able to beat Juventus 1-0 at Allianz.

"They were a fantastic team and were able to win when they went home to Juventus. However, the way we won the match made us more confident. Moreover, we played with strong characters," he said.

Gasperini, further, said Atalanta did have difficulties, especially towards the end of the match. But players have gained experience winning the Europa League. This made Ademola Lookman et al mentality stronger and they played more calmly.

"We did have a hard time at the end of the game. We were indeed weak in the game organization so we couldn't overcome such a situation. I always tell players that the match in the Champions League made them more developed. We did have valuable experience when competing in the Europa League last season," said Gasperini.

In that match Atalanta had difficulty facing Stuttgart. Not only at the end of the match but also in the early minutes of the match. Even the hosts had threatened Atalanta's defense.

Anthony Rouault's header almost broke into Marco Carnesecchi's goal. Likewise, Deniz Undav's shot which greeted Chris Fuhrich's pass was still wide.

After no goal in the first half, Atalanta began to find the rhythm of the game. Atalanta's patience in facing Stuttgart's strong defense finally paid off.

Lookman successfully broke into the host's goal after completing Charles De Ketelaere's cross in 51 minutes. Subsequently, the visitors solidified their lead when Nicolo Zainolo scored a goal in the remaining two minutes. The score changed 2-0 for Atalanta and lasted until the game was over.