Champions League putsch vibe: 24 hours after defeating outgoing winner Liverpool, Atalanta novices inflicted a 4-1 correction at Valencia, while the unsuccessful finalist in the 2019 Tottenham lost 1 -0 at home against Leipzig which also started at this level of the competition.
The grinta of Atalanta
Who will stop Atalanta? Four days after a victory against AS Rome in Serie A, crucial in the race for European places, Bergamo signed a new performance of choice by triumphing 4-1 over Valencia.
Faced with a Spanish team that had shown composure to eliminate Ajax Amsterdam in the group stage, the miracles of Group C, qualified for the round of 16 with only seven points, showed from the first period that they did not intend to stop on such a good path.
Atalanta, present for the first time at this stage of the competition, opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a point blank shot from the Dutchman Hans Hateboer. In the 42nd, it was his teammate Josip Ilicic who resisted the pressure of several opponents before sending the leather to the upper left corner of the Valencia goal.
The Bergamo partition turned to demonstration in the second period, with two new goals from Remo Freuler (57th) and Hateboer (62nd).
Deprived Wednesday of their defenders Ezequiel Garay and Gabriel Paulista, and their titular goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, the Spaniards saved the honor thanks to Denis Cheryshev (66th) and will try to redeem themselves at home, March 10, in the return match.
Tottenham faces pschitt against Leipzig
The finalist of the last C1 has lost his splendor: Wednesday at the reception of Red Bull Leipzig, the Spurs suffered from the start of the match the assaults of the red and black waves and finally lost 1-0, on a penalty converted by Timo Werner.
Wiped out of their firepower in the absence of scorers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the Londoners opposed a solid physical commitment to the offensive of the dolphins of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. More threatening than their hosts, the visitors however failed to concretize their domination.
It was finally Ben Davies who, by mowing Konrad Laimer in the area, unintentionally unblocked the situation shortly before the hour of play (58th). Tottenham almost equalized fifteen minutes later, but the free kick by Giovani Lo Celso shattered on the left post of Péter Gulacsi.
The air of the eighths is decidedly unhealthy for the cadors of 2019, since the defeat of the Spurs follows that of their knockout in the final, Liverpool, beaten 1-0 by Atlético Madrid the day before.
Will the Big Ears Cup lose its two most eminent courtiers in the first knockout round?
Answer in about twenty days: the Londoners will move to Leipzig on March 10, on the eve of the return match between Reds and Madrid at Anfield. (Afp / nxp)
Created: 19.02.2020, 11.58 p.m.
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