Juventus vs. Inter 1 of 6 Serie A Games Behind Closed Doors Due to Coronavirus
Feb 25, 2020
TURIN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 26: A general view inside the stadium prior to the UEFA Champions League group D match between Juventus and Atletico Madrid at Allianz Stadium on November 26, 2019 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Italian Minster of Sports Vincenzo Spadafora has confirmed six Serie A matches will be played behind closed doors during Week 26 following the recent coronavirus outbreak in the country's northern regions.
Organisers have made the decision to play fixtures despite concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, the specific type of coronavirus that reportedly originated in China.
Spadafora told Tg2 (h/t Football Italia) that six of the 10 Serie A matches scheduled to take place in Week 26 will be held without fans in attendance, including Sunday's clash between Juventus and Inter Milan:
"Measures are already in force, that prohibit any events until next Sunday. Initially for Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont. Now we have also extended to Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna and Liguria.
"In these regions, the prohibition of sporting events remains, for some events we have given the availability to carry them out behind closed doors."
Udinese will play Fiorentina behind closed doors in the only Saturday fixture to be impacted. Three other Sunday games will be played in empty stadia: AC Milan vs. Genoa, Parma vs. SPAL and Sassuolo vs. Brescia, as well as Monday's fixture between Sampdoria and Hellas Verona.
Spadafora added the remaining Serie A fixtures will continue as planned, explaining the measure "has not been extended to the rest of Italy because the conditions for taking serious measures do not exist."
That means Lazio will host Bologna as planned, while Napoli's home fixture against Torino continues uninterrupted on Saturday. Lecce's meeting with Atalanta and Cagliari's clash against AS Roma in Sardinia—both on Sunday—will also each be open to the public.
Inter announced on Monday that their second-leg meeting with Ludogorets Razgrad in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 on Thursday will be behind closed doors because of the outbreak:
🎟️ | TICKETS#InterLudogorets will be played behind closed doors.
Inter's game against Sampdoria on Sunday was one of four Serie A games postponed as fears over the spread of the virus grew.
Mark Lowen of BBC News wrote that 50,000 people have been quarantined in the 11 towns closed off following the outbreak, with seven people in Italy having died as a result of the respiratory infection thus far.
Rich Hall of Football Italia gave Love Sport Radio an update on the sporting implications prior to today's news:
️ "Juventus v Inter Milan could be played behind closed doors"@footballitalia's @RichHall80 explained what consequences the Coronavirus is having on Serie A over next few weeks.#ForzaInter#ForzaJuve
Juve hold a one-point lead over Lazio at the top of Serie A. Inter are a further five points adrift, although they have a game in hand.
Italian PM Suggests All Serie A Games May Be Postponed Due to Coronavirus Fears
Feb 24, 2020
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte arrives for a special European Council summit in Brussels on February 20, 2020, held to discuss the next long-term budget of the European Union (EU). (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP) (Photo by ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has suggested all Serie A matches could be postponed in Week 26 following an outbreak of coronavirus in the northern regions.
Four games in northern Italy were postponed on Sunday in relation to fears over the respiratory infection, and Football Italia reported there have been more than 150 people diagnosed.
Conte told RAI (h/t Football Italia): "I don't think that in just one week we'd be able to slow down the contagion so much that we could resume sporting events. We are constantly monitoring the situation and will evaluate. We'll see the evolution of the contagion and evaluate postponing all next week's matches."
The Telegraph reported on Monday that a fifth person in Italy had died from Covid-19, the specific type of coronavirus that reportedly originated in China.
Inter Milan's meeting with Sampdoria at the San Siro was among the matches to be postponed during the Week 25 lineup on Sunday. Atalanta's home meeting with Sassuolo was also called off, as was Torino's meeting with Parma and Cagliari's trip to Verona.
ESPN FC's Moises Llorens reported Barcelona's players will be checked for fever upon arrival in Naples this week when they travel for Tuesday's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 first leg away to Napoli.
It's mentioned any players showing signs of illness will be taken directly to hospital, with Europe's premier club tournament seemingly also at risk of being disrupted.
Football isn't the only sport at risk of being interrupted, either, after Cycling Weekly reported the one-off Milan-San Remo race was one of several cycling events that could be affected:
Juventus and Inter were due to meet in Turin on Sunday in a fixture that's expected to have huge sway on this season's race for the Scudetto, though that clash could now be pushed back to a later date.
France 24 provided an update on the situation in Italy, while the Telegraph report said as many as 50,000 people across 11 towns "are effectively in quarantine":
Juventus beat SPAL 2-1 away from home to retain their one-point lead at the Serie A summit on Saturday, while Lazio's 3-2 win at Genoa saw them move up to second following Inter's postponement.
Paulo Fonseca: Roma Want to Sign Chris Smalling, Henrikh Mkhitaryan Permanently
Feb 24, 2020
ROME, ITALY - FEBRUARY 23: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of AS Roma in action during the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Lecce at Stadio Olimpico on February 23, 2020 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Roma manager Paulo Fonseca has said he "would like so much" to sign Manchester United defender Chris Smalling on a permanent deal, while Arsenal loanee Henrikh Mkhitaryan is also a priority.
England international Smalling, 30, joined the Giallorossi on a season-long loan in late August, but it's understood the €3 million temporary deal had no option for a permanent transfer included.
Fonseca told Sky Sports News he wants to sign the player permanently after Roma defeated Lecce 4-0 at home on Sunday:
"Chris is a great, great man, a great, great professional. The adaptation (to Italian football) was very easy for him. He's a boy that everyone loves in the club because he is a great professional.
"I would like Chris to stay. We are speaking. I don't know if it is possible because of the situation with Manchester United, but I would like so much for Chris to stay here with us because he is very important.
"He is a great player, a great man with a great attitude every day and for all of these reasons I would be very happy if Chris stays."
The former Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk coach was evidently impressed after Roma kept a second clean sheet in four days having beaten Gent 1-0 in their UEFA Europa League round-of-32 first leg on Thursday.
Mkhitaryan looked back to his best at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday when he scored and assisted in Roma's second successive win across all competitions:
The Armenia captain joined Roma on loan from the Gunners on September 2—also for €3 million, plus a potential €100,000 in bonuses—though injury setbacks have limited his involvement thus far.
Fonseca added: "Mkhi during this season got some injuries but he is returning now and he is proving his quality. Let's see. He is a player with great decisions on the pitch and I would also like to keep Mkhi in our team."
Roma have kept back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since late November, and Smalling has played the full 90 minutes in all but one of their 21 league matches since making his Serie A debut in September.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might consider allowing the player a move given the centre-back competition at Old Trafford. The club signed Harry Maguire from Leicester City last summer, while Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe have also been in the rotation this season.
Solskjaer seemed certain in his response when asked in December whether he thought Smalling—who has made 323 appearances for United—would return to the club, per broadcaster Bill Rice:
Solskjaer when asked if he thinks Chris Smalling will come back to United.
Arsenal have changed manager since Unai Emery agreed to send Mkhitaryan to Rome, and incumbent boss Mikel Arteta may yet want to give the player a chance in north London.
However, sportswriter Jonny Singer appeared to suggest the playmaker hasn't made the necessary improvements to warrant another chance at the Emirates Stadium:
Also, it's so enjoyable to watch Mkhitaryan play for another team. Tackling his team-mates, dribbling down cul-de-sacs, constantly giving it away. What a player he used to be, what a shadow he is now!
Mkhitaryan, 31, has never recaptured the superb form he enjoyed at former clubs Shakhtar and Borussia Dortmund. He endured a disappointing 18 months at United before he was traded for Alexis Sanchez and sent to Arsenal in January 2018.
A permanent move to the Italian capital could make sense for him and team-mate Smalling, each of whom hope to help Roma—currently fifth in Serie A—to a top-four finish before their loans come to an end.
Blaise Matuidi Says Juventus Have Exercised 1-Year Extension in His Contract
Feb 24, 2020
TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 02: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Blaise Matuidi of Juventus looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus and ACF Fiorentina at Allianz Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Blaise Matuidi has confirmed that Juventus have triggered a one-year extension in his contract to keep him at the club until 2021.
The Frenchman's deal was set to expire this summer, but he told Sport24 (h/t Football Italia): "In my contract there was an option for another year. Juventus have exercised it. I never had any doubts about it. I feel the trust of everyone."
Matuidi arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for an initial €30.5 million, with a further €10.5 million in add-ons dependent on the number of appearances made for the Bianconeri.
He has thus far played 118 times for the Old Lady in all competitions.
Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren believes he's one of several midfielders to sign for Juve in recent years to fall short of the strength they once enjoyed in that area:
He is perhaps not the most natural fit with the technical football manager Maurizio Sarri employs, either, as football writer Kaustubh Pandey observed:
Having a past his prime Matuidi for a technically obsessed system defines it all.
The enforcer does help provide defensive protection, though, thanks to his tireless work in the engine room to break up opponents' play and regain possession for his side.
He's not quite the player he once was, and he'll be 33 in April, so he's entering the twilight of his career.
However, after Juve allowed Emre Can to depart in January for Borussia Dortmund, they may not want to leave themselves short of options by losing Matuidi this summer.
Sami Khedira is the same age—he'll also turn 33 in April—performs a similar role to Matuidi and already has another year remaining on his deal, but he has been out since November after knee surgery.
The German is likely to return soon if his expected three-month recovery has gone to plan, but Matuidi remaining at the club gives them some insurance if Khedira struggles to find form after his long absence.
Inter Milan Among 3 Serie A Matches Postponed over Coronavirus Fears
Feb 22, 2020
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 23: A general view of soccer balls during the Inter Miami CF training session at Barry University on January 23, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
A number of Serie A Soccer matches in Italy were suspended because of fears about the coronavirus.
ESPN reported the news, noting Sunday matches in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto between Inter Milan and Sampdoria, Atalanta and Sassuolo, and Hellas Verona and Cagliari were all suspended.
The decision came after a Serie B match between Ascoli and Cremonese and a Serie C match between Piacenza and Sambenedettese were also called off for the same reason.
According to the ESPN report, "A dozen towns in northern Italy effectively went into lockdown on Saturday after the deaths of two people infected with the coronavirus from China, and a growing cluster of cases with no direct links to the origin of the outbreak abroad."
The suspended soccer games were just the latest developments in the sports world when it comes to coronavirus concerns.
The LPGA canceled multiple tournaments, Miami University postponed men's and women's basketball games, and Calum Trenaman of CNN noted "a number of sporting events in China have been canceled, postponed or moved to other countries since the outbreak began."
Among the changes in China was the postponement of China's domestic football competition, the Chinese Super League, and the start of the new Chinese Basketball Association League that was scheduled for Feb. 1.
According to Helen Regan, Adam Renton and Tara John of CNN, there are more than 77,700 cases of the virus globally and more than 76,000 confirmed cases in mainland China.
Cristiano Ronaldo Ties Serie A Goal Record as Juventus Beat SPAL 2-1
Feb 22, 2020
FERRARA, ITALY - FEBRUARY 22: Juventus player Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring the 0-1 goal during the Serie A match between SPAL and Juventus at Stadio Paolo Mazza on February 22, 2020 in Ferrara, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Badolato - Juventus FC/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo fired Juventus to a 2-1 victory over SPAL in the 1,000th match of his career on Saturday at the Stadio Paolo Mazza.
The 35-year-old scored for the 11th consecutive Serie A match when he opened the scoring in the 39th minute, and Aaron Ramsey doubled the lead on the hour mark with his third goal of the season.
On-loan Napoli forward Andrea Petagna pulled a goal back with a 69th-minute penalty, his 10th goal of the campaign, but that was as much as SPAL could muster in response.
The defeat is SPAL's fifth consecutive loss in Serie A.
Ronaldo thought he'd scored after just four minutes when he touched in Paulo Dybala's pass, but his effort was quickly dismissed for offside:
❌ Juventus thought they'd got an early opener, but the flag is up and it's ruled out
😬 A great ball from Dybala, and a finish to match from Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Juve No. 7 had just strayed offside pic.twitter.com/stm68KzaE4
Juan Cuadrado then twice should have done better when Alex Sandro picked him out with a pair of crosses, but on both occasions he failed to hit the target.
At the other end, Gabriel Strefezza forced two saves from Wojciech Szczesny, while Petagna missed with a header.
Juve continued to look the more threatening, however, and Dybala rattled the post before Ronaldo converted a cross from Cuadrado:
SPAL showed some signs of life as Petagna replied from the spot after Mattijs de Ligt was penalised for a challenge on Simone Missiroli.
Juve remained in control despite the setback, and Ronaldo almost added a third from a free-kick but saw his effort come back off the crossbar.
What Next
Juventus travel to Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday before facing title rivals Inter Milan in a crunch Serie A clash on March 1. The same day, SPAL take on Parma.
Giorgio Chiellini's Agent Says Defender Set for Juventus Contract Extension
Feb 21, 2020
TURIN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 16: Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus greets the fans at the end of the Serie A match between Juventus and Brescia Calcio at Allianz Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini's agent, Davide Lippi, has said the centre-back is set to extend his stay with the Italian champions.
Lippi told Tuttomercatoweb Radio (h/t Football Italia) that the 35-year-old wants to keep playing and expects a renewal to go through smoothly.
"His renewal will be official only when the club announces it. Then, between us, I don't think there will be any problems. Giorgio's will is to go ahead and play as long as he is well and until he feels important.
"His injury has allowed him to work a lot alone, on Sunday he surprised us all with his return to the field early. I didn't even know he would play, to tell you the truth. However, when Chiellini puts something in his head, there is no way to stop him!"
Chiellini joined Juventus in 2005 from Livorno and has made over 500 appearances for the Turin giants in a glittering career. He is heading toward the end of his playing days but remains a key player for manager Maurizio Sarri's side.
The centre-back will extend his stay in Turin for another 12 months, according to Romeo Agresti of Goal:
#Juventus: the renewal of Chiellini’s contract is just a formality. He’ll sign an extension until 2021 ⚪️⚫️@goal
Sarri has said will he "evaluate" the defender to see if he is fit enough to start Saturday's clash against SPAL at Stadio Paolo Mazza, per Football Italia.
Chiellini's return will be a boost to a Juventus side that have not wholly convinced in 2019-20 despite topping Serie A after 24 games.
They have had troubles defensively with Merih Demiral ruled out for the season after undergoing knee surgery, while summer signing Matthijs de Ligt has struggled to recapture the form he showed at Ajax.
Chiellini is likely to slot straight back into the team alongside Leonardo Bonucci when fully fit, and Juventus will need his leadership, experience and defensive qualities as they fight for trophies on three fronts.
Claudio Marchisio Backs Juventus' Maurizio Sarri, Says He Needs Time
Feb 20, 2020
TURIN, ITALY - DECEMBER 22: Claudio Marchisio, former player of Juventus during the Serie A match between Juventus and AS Roma on December 22, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
Former Juventus star Claudio Marchisio has urged patience with manager Maurizio Sarri, saying he's the right choice for the club and needs time to implement his vision.
The Italian spoke to DAZN (h/t Football Italia) and addressed the rumours surrounding the former Napoli and Chelsea boss:
"I think Sarri was the right choice for Juventus. Obviously, it takes time. The Bianconeri came from two great winning cycles under [Antonio] Conte and [Massimiliano] Allegri.
"Maurizio can count on a great squad and came from playing beautiful football with Napoli to win a big trophy in Europe with Chelsea, despite the difficulties he suffered. His experience with the Blues has also come in handy in Turin."
Juventus' Italian coach Maurizio Sarri looks on during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Brescia on February 16, 2020 at the Juventus stadium in Turin. (Photo by Isabella BONOTTO / AFP) (Photo by ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP via Getty Images)
Sarri is in his first season with the Bianconeri, who lead Serie A and are through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League but have done so without looking convincing.
The struggles have already led to speculation Juventus could move on from the tactician after one season. Per Metro, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been linked with the job.
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero backed Guardiola to come to Turin:
Sarri has a reputation for bringing an intricate style of play that has been described as "Sarri-ball." It relies heavily on quick ball circulation and smart movement out of possession.
The system can take time to implement, and Juventus are in win-now mode, with several veteran stars like Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad. All three are 35 or older.
Juventus have shown flashes of brilliance at times this season and created plenty of chances in their last win against Brescia:
But while they mustered opportunities, Juventus scored just twice against an injury-ridden side that spent the bulk of the match with 10 men.
The Bianconeri have won eight consecutive Serie A titles under managers Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri. Winning is a must in Turin, and the UEFA Champions League is the ultimate goal. Juventus haven't tasted continental success since 1996.
'Is This Really Happening?' Fans' View of Atalanta's Champions League Miracle
Feb 18, 2020
REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - MAY 26: Atalanta BC fans during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Sassuolo at Mapei Stadium - Citta del Tricolore on May 26, 2019 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Matteo Scarpellini attended his first Atalanta game when he was only 10 months old. Carried by an uncle who wanted to "baptise" him in the club's traditions, he was part of a crowd that saw them defeat Catanzaro 1-0 on the opening day of the 1975-76 Serie B season. He has followed the club devotedly ever since.
"If you're born in Bergamo, you have to be Atalantino," Scarpellini tells Bleacher Report.
"My family is Atalanta, every one of the family. We live in an area where there are a lot of Inter and AC Milan fans, because Milan is pretty close. Also Juventus. But we teach the kids when they're born to follow Atalanta. You have no choice—you have to be an Atalanta fan."
They start them young in Bergamo, the northern Italian city that Atalanta call home. In an initiative launched by president Antonio Percassi following his return to the club in 2010, every infant born in the Lombardy city is sent a mini Atalanta replica kit along with two bottles of locally produced baby milk.
Now THIS is how you connect with your local community.@Atalanta_BC send every newborn a club shirt and milk produced in the area 👕🥛
Hailing from a city with a population of only 122,000, Atalanta prides itself on being a family club, but it is also welcoming to outsiders, as the legion of overseas supporters who have fallen for the rustic charms of the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia over the years can testify.
"We have a really good network of international fans," says Nigel Mannering, an Atalanta fan from Portsmouth in southern England. "There's all the Italians and the guys in Bergamo, but we have fans in Norway, we have fans in Poland, in Ireland, there's French fans, there's a couple of Germans, there's Dutch. We've all kind of mingled and got to know each other."
Conor Clancy, an Irish football journalist and Atalanta supporter who lives in Parma, recalls seeing his bewildered father being embraced by a couple of jubilant locals on the Curva Nord following a late winner against Inter Milan in October 2016.
"It's one of those experiences that sticks with you," Clancy says. "There's a real family feel."
Since Gian Piero Gasperini took over as head coach in the summer of 2016, Atalanta's homely charms have given way to something altogether more spectacular. Despite operating on a shoestring budget compared to Serie A's biggest clubs, La Dea ("The Goddess") qualified for the UEFA Champions League last season for the first time in the club's history, having previously ended a 27-year wait for European football by making it into the UEFA Europa League in 2017.
In their maiden Champions League campaign, they became the first team since Newcastle United in 2002-03 to progress from the competition's group phase after losing their first three matches. Gasperini's free-scoring side face Valencia in the first leg of their last 16 tie on Wednesday, and for supporters raised on a steady diet of relegation scraps and early cup exits, it is all taking a bit of getting used to.
"It is really hard to explain just how much this run means," says Clancy. "With every game, the fans are pinching themselves and going, 'Is this really happening?' The way they managed to go through just adds to the dream-like nature of it. It doesn't quite seem real and it hasn't seemed real for the last three or four years."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-xJhekB-Sg
Atalanta secured their place in this season's competition with a 3-1 win over Sassuolo on the final day of last season. For a club that has been relegated to Serie B and promoted back three times in the 21st century, it was a scarcely believable achievement. For Scarpellini, it had even deeper meaning.
"I have a very strong memory, even a bit sad, because it was the last time I saw my close friend Tito," he says. "Eleven days later, he died of a heart attack aged 53. I remember hugging him after the game. We were crying—almost everyone was crying. It was a dream come true. I was hugging him and saying, 'We're in the Champions League, Tito! I can't believe it!'
"That feeling, supporters of the top teams can't realise how beautiful it is. Because they are used to it. When you are a supporter of a small club and for some reason you achieve something big like this, you lose yourself. If you support a small club, all the terraces become your friends. More than friends—they're family."
Matchday 1: Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 Atalanta
Drawn alongside Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta were the only team in Group C not to have won their national championship the previous season. Few teams relish a visit to Dinamo's intimidating Stadion Maksimir, but none of the Atalanta fans who made the trip to the Croatian capital for their team's first-ever Champions League game could have anticipated quite how uncomfortable an evening it would prove to be.
Atalanta's Colombian forward Zapata Duval (R) and Gambian forward Musa Barrow (L) react at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group C football match GNK Dinamo vs Atalanta BC in Zagreb, Croatia, on September 18, 2019. - Dinamo won the match 4-0. (Photo
The visitors were 3-0 down at half-time and conceded a fourth goal when Mislav Orsic tucked away his hat-trick goal in the 68th minute. After the dizzy highs of the previous three years, their maiden Champions League campaign began with a brutal reality check.
"Atalanta got stage fright," says Eirik Stangnes, an Atalanta fan from northern Norway who has come to consider Bergamo his "second home". "They weren't prepared for it. They got absolutely battered."
Matchday 2: Atalanta 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
Obliged to play their home games at San Siro because of renovation work at their own stadium, Atalanta scored their first Champions League goal courtesy of Duvan Zapata's 28th-minute header, only for things to fall apart again.
Junior Moraes equalised for Shakhtar before half-time and then, with Atalanta flooding forward in search of a winner, Gasperini's men were hit with a sucker punch in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Dodo played in fellow substitute Manor Solomon to smuggle home the winner.
Shakhtar Donetsk's Israeli forward Manor Solomon (Rear R) celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League Group C stage football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Shakhtar Donetsk on October 1, 2019 at San Siro stadium in Milan. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO
"It was an absolute sickener," recalls English fan Mannering. "Given the way the first game had gone, then you concede a goal with literally the last kick of the game to lose the second game. Knowing that we'd got Man City home and away to come after that, I basically felt that was it. We were out."
Matchday 3: Manchester City 5-1 Atalanta
Ruslan Malinovskyi's 28th-minute penalty fleetingly nourished hope of an upset among the Atalanta supporters at the Etihad Stadium, but a quickfire Sergio Aguero brace allowed the home side go in 2-1 up at half-time, and Raheem Sterling's second-half hat-trick put the game to bed in emphatic fashion.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: An artistic view of Raheem Sterling of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League group C match between Manchester City and Atalanta at Etihad Stadium on October 22, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Rob
At the halfway stage in the group, Atalanta were rock bottom with no points from their first three matches, only two goals scored and no fewer than 11 conceded. Since the Champions League's second group phase was scrapped in 2003, no team had ever progressed to the knockout phase after losing their first three matches. But the remarkable durability that Atalanta have displayed under Gasperini meant that not all of their supporters were prepared to abandon hope just yet.
"Given what's happened in the last few years, there's never the feeling that anything's dead with this team," says Clancy. "You can never write them off."
Matchday 4: Atalanta 1-1 Manchester City
With 42 minutes on the clock in Atalanta's return fixture against City, their Champions League goose looked well and truly cooked. Sterling had given City an early lead and after Josip Ilicic was penalised for handball, Gabriel Jesus stood poised to double the visitors' lead from the penalty spot.
Atalanta's Croatian midfielder Mario Pasalic (R) celebrates after scoring a header past Manchester City's Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo (L) to equalize during the UEFA Champions League Group C football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Manchester City on Novem
But the Brazilian fluffed his lines, hopelessly scuffing his spot-kick wide of the left-hand post, and four minutes into the second half, Mario Pasalic headed in an equaliser from Papu Gomez's cross. With Shakhtar scoring twice in stoppage time to snatch a 3-3 draw at Dinamo in the other group game, it gave Atalanta a fighting chance of squeezing into the last 16.
"When Gabriel Jesus missed the penalty was a very important moment," says Andrea Mastrovito, a Bergamo-born artist and Atalanta die-hard who regularly flies in from New York to watch his team's matches. "Maybe the most important moment. The whole stadium felt that we could do it. Everything changed in that moment."
Matchday 5: Atalanta 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb
Atalanta had to beat Dinamo in their penultimate match and hope Shakhtar failed to win at City to stand any chance of going through to the knockout phase. They claimed their first Champions League victory thanks to goals in each half from Luis Muriel and Gomez, while Shakhtar came away from the Etihad with a 1-1 draw. Against all probability, it was still on.
Atalanta's Argentinian forward Papu Gomez celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League Group C football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Dinamo Zagreb on November 26, 2019 at the San Siro stadium in Milan. (Photo by MIGUEL MED
"With the 2-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb, it was like Europe was really seeing what Atalanta were about," says Clancy. "They had big momentum going away to Ukraine for the last game. That's when the belief really took off."
Matchday 6: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-3 Atalanta
Half an hour from the end of their final group game in Kharkiv, with the score goalless, Atalanta were heading out and Shakhtar were going through. The fates seemed to be conspiring against the away side when Timothy Castagne's close-range effort in the 66th minute was ruled out for offside, but a millimetric VAR review overturned the decision, sparking delirium among the visiting supporters.
Atalanta's German defender Robin Gosens celebrates after scoring the team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League group C football match between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta BC at the Metallist stadium in Kharkiv on December 11, 2019. (Photo by
After Dodo was sent off for catching Remo Freuler in the face with his hand, Atalanta rubberstamped their wholly improbable passage to the last 16 with late goals from Pasalic and Robin Gosens. Back home in Bergamo, thousands of fans streamed to the airport to await their returning heroes.
"Everybody who was in Bergamo went to the airport to wait for the players to come back," says Scarpellini. "You can imagine: fireworks everywhere, smoke. It was amazing. It was a night you had to be there."
Having travelled to Ukraine to watch the match among Atalanta's ultras, Mastrovito arrived back in Bergamo a couple of hours after the squad had passed through the airport.
"We arrived in Bergamo at five in the morning," he says. "I also had jet lag, so I didn't want to go to sleep. I was so excited. I waited for the newspaper store to open and I bought all of the newspapers. I had a very big, beautiful breakfast in the most beautiful bar in town and then I went to bed at 10 in the morning. I put all of the newspapers on the floor in my room so that when I woke up, I'd understand that it hadn't just been a dream."
Round of 16: Atalanta v Valencia
The draw for the round of 16 could have provided Atalanta with more glamorous opposition than a hit-and-miss Valencia side, but the feeling among the club's fans is that it offered their team the best possible chance of continuing their Champions League adventure. "Valencia are a very good side, but we can do something," says Scarpellini.
Yet while Gasperini and his players can harbour realistic ambitions of reaching the quarter-finals, there seems little danger of anybody within their fanbase losing perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dPgXJFCNBY
"Over the last few years, we must have had 10 of those games where you go, 'This is the best game in the history of the club.' It's just absolutely amazing," says Norwegian fan Stangnes. "Everyone in Bergamo knows the bubble will burst someday. The fans don't think we're going to be up there every year. When you're a small club, you've just got to enjoy it while it lasts."
As Mastrovito explains: "Whatever happens, everybody will love this team forever."
Mino Raiola Says He's Spoken to Juventus About Manchester United's Paul Pogba
Feb 15, 2020
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Paul Pogba of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United at Old Trafford on December 26, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Mino Raiola has confirmed he's had talks with Juventus about Paul Pogba and said "other clubs" are also interested in the Manchester United superstar.
Pogba's agent told Tuttosport(h/t Goal's Chris Burton) the France international wants to "stay at the highest level," and he's spoken to Juve vice-chairman Pavel Nedved about the World Cup winner. Raiola added he's looking into the summer options for his client:
"He never lost his smile, but clearly a great player doesn't go to Manchester United only to not challenge for the Champions League or the Premier League title.
"It would be wrong for me not to admit Paul wants to stay at the highest level.
"Pogba will first and foremost try to give his best and then we'll see at the end of the season if he ought to remain or not.
"I talk to Pavel Nedved and Juventus about many things, including about Pogba and other players, as is only right for a big club.
"You need to get information, see what's happening, put down a few hypotheses, dream a little."
players agent Mino Raiola during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group F match between Germany and Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium on June 17, 2018 in Moscow, Russia(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Raiola added other teams are considering the player. However, the agent reinforced Pogba remains focused on United's objectives:
"Along with Juventus, there are other clubs in for Paul, but right now he is with Manchester United.
"There's nothing impossible in the transfer market, that has already been proved by Juve, PSG, Real Madrid. The achievement of impossible things is part of this business."
Raiola's latest comments come soon after the agent revealed Pogba could be tempted back to Juve after a disappointing spell at Old Trafford, per Fabrizio Romano:
Raiola: “Pogba to Juventus? Italy is like home for Paul. He’d like to come back to Juventus but we’ll see what will happen after the Euros. Pogba wants to play at the best level but he can’t escape by Man United if they’re in a difficult situation...” 🛑 #MUFC#Juve#Pogba
The likelihood of Pogba's pending departure threatens to overshadow the final months of United's campaign. The Red Devils travel to Chelsea on Monday knowing defeat will leave them nine points behind fourth.
As Pogba continues to recover from injury, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side must remain ruthless in their pursuit of UEFA Champions League qualification.
A deep injury crisis has affected results, and United have failed to gain consistency after being forced to rotate their options.
However, Pogba is expected to be available in the near future, and the midfielder could trigger a surge in form when he's back on the pitch.
Bruno Fernandes' capture will boost United's creative options, and if the Red Devils finish the season on a high, they will have a chance to convince Pogba his future lies in Manchester.
Solskjaer's own future relies on results in the coming weeks. The availability of former Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino will likely be a consideration for the United board if they don't witness progress from their team before the end of the campaign.
