Atalanta dominated the first leg of their Europa League play-off with FC Copenhagen, repeatedly forcing tough saves, but it somehow ended goalless.
This was the third step for the Orobici, who eliminated Sarajevo and Hapoel Haifa. The decider will be in Denmark on August 30 to see which team goes into the group phase.
Atalanta dominated the first leg of their Europa League play-off with FC Copenhagen, repeatedly forcing tough saves, but it somehow ended goalless.
This was the third step for the Orobici, who eliminated Sarajevo and Hapoel Haifa. The decider will be in Denmark on August 30 to see which team goes into the group phase.
Josip Ilicic was still side-lined by an infection that has kept him in and out of hospital all summer, so Mario Pasalic and Papu Gomez flanked teenage striker Musa Barrow. The Danes were regulars in Europe, including the Champions League, and welcomed back captain Zeca after an injury scare.
Atalanta started very aggressively, Gomez first testing the goalkeeper with a cheeky lob from midfield, then laying off a long ball for Pasalic to sting Jesse Joronen’s gloves.
Joronen again had to beat away a Remo Freuler rocket and Gomez fired just over moments later. They did get the ball in the net after 32 minutes, but Barrow was offside when he got the final deflection on a Gomez strike to wrong-foot the goalkeeper.
The visitors grew into the game as the first half wore on, so Duvan Zapata was introduced and immediately set up a chance that Gomez blasted over. The Colombian and Barrow saw efforts charged down, but Joronen scrambled for a desperate one-handed save to claw Hans Hateboer’s acrobatic lob round the base of the far post.
Gomez’s curler grazed the upright on 65 minutes at the end of a wonderful team passing move, as it turned into a siege on the Copenhagen goal. Gomez allowed Duvan Zapata to spring the offside trap and his lob was brilliantly saved, but Robin Gosens horribly mis-kicked the follow-up in front of an open goal.
Hateboer’s strike from the edge of the box was deflected to clip the far post and Joronen parried a Barrow attempt with his legs, then flew to palm a Gosens half-volley out from under the bar.
Atalanta 0-0 Copenhagen
Atalanta: Gollini; Toloi, Mancini, Masiello; Hateboer (Castagne 92), De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pasalic (Duvan Zapata 46), Barrow (Cornelius 80), Gomez
FC Copenhagen: Joronen; Ankersen, Vavro, Bjelland, Boilesen; Skov, Zeca (Kvist 46), Thomsen, Fischer (Kodro 80); Sotiriou (Gregus 76), N’Doye
Ref: Kralovec (CZE)