Bayer Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane fully admits goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky’s save on Luis Muriel was ‘a key moment of the match’ with Atalanta, but expects an equally enthralling second leg.
The Germans had taken the lead in Bergamo through Charles Aranguiz, who had also hit the woodwork with a free kick.
However, Ruslan Malinovskyi and a Muriel brace turned the tie around, only for Moussa Diaby to grab another against the run of play.
The away goals rule no longer applies, so this 3-2 result in Bergamo is not as strong as it might’ve been in previous seasons in the Europa League Round of 16.
Europa League | Atalanta 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen: Muriel brace for the turnaround
Hradecky made a series of great saves, but above all an astonishing reaction with his trailing foot to deny Muriel from point-blank range.
“It was a key moment of the match, as that would’ve been 4-1, he kept us in the game and that was a very important turning point,” Seoane told Sky Sport Italia.
“I don’t think we deserved more. It’s true that we had control for 20 minutes in the first half, but Atalanta also made life very difficult for us with their variable approach, their strikers didn’t give us many reference points, they attacked a lot down the wings and cut inside.”
How will Bayer Leverkusen approach the second leg, especially considering Atalanta tend to do better on their travels this season?
“Seeing tonight’s game and the attitude of the two teams, I think it will be another very entertaining match. We saw that without the away goals rule, both sides had more courage and were not afraid to attack.
“I do think we need to improve our performance, have more control of the game and be more dangerous in the final third.”
Patrik Schick missed the match through injury and is expected to be out for the second leg too.
“He is a player who has some exceptional qualities, so as long as being a hitman, he has pace and technique. Alario is more of a box player who needs service and we were unable to give him the right passes. Naturally, we miss Schick.”
Another turning point in the match saw Bayer Leverkusen switch to a 3-4-3 formation without a pure centre-forward. Considering that worked well, is that how Seoane intends to start the second leg?
“Their three centre-backs are so good on high balls, so we opted to use three quicker, more mobile forwards and they caused Atalanta’s defence more problems.
“The problem is you need to be versatile, because Atalanta are the kind of side who can adapt straight away to any changes.”
Florian Wirtz is the extraordinary young talent in the Bayer Leverkusen squad, but the teenager seemed frustrated by the marking tonight. Can the Bundesliga club keep hold of Wirtz for long?
“We want to keep most of this squad, especially the younger talents, as we give players a lot of time and space to grow.
“Wirtz was almost man-marked by Marten de Roon today, so he found it a bit tougher, but he just turned 18 and always seems to have an impact with a goal or assist.”