Atalanta lost at home to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, 1-0. The hosts saw a red card issued in the first half to Remo Freuler, before conceding to a late goal by Ferland Mendy. After the match, Atalanta coach Gasperini spoke to Sky: "We are left with a lot of bitterness, for not being able to play the game. Regardless of the result we were looking forward to playing in the Champions League against Real, but that was clearly ruined. I don't know how the result would have gone, but another match happened. The incident with the sending off was excessive. With offsides and hand balls there is no more discussion, there is still a discussion over challenges, which for me remains an important aspect of football that you cannot take out. For me it is a suicide for football."
On Zapata: It didn't seem like a strain, but a contraction. It's too bad because Duvan was playing well in the moment. To repeat, I am feeling bitter, but we are satisfied, we will go to Madrid to play our match. This moment was highly anticipated, but it was ruined just like that."
