RB Leipzig coach Domenico Tedesco explained the tactical approach that allowed them to eliminate Atalanta from the Europa League quarter-final and praised the home fans.
The first leg had ended 1-1 in Germany, but a Christopher Nkunku brace at the Gewiss Stadium secured the 2-0 result, going through to the semi-final 3-1 on aggregate.
“We are very happy to have passed this very difficult test,” said Tedesco in his press conference.
“We knew full well who we were facing, so the idea was to sit deep, not press as high as we did in the first leg, work on closing down the spaces for Atalanta and blocking the channels for Duvan Zapata.
“It was a good performance in defence and we created chances on the counter. I am proud of my team. I feel exhausted now! It’s a great story for Leipzig and I think we deserved it over the 180 minutes of the tie.
“I want to praise the Atalanta fans, because even after the final whistle, they continued to celebrate their team’s performance. It makes football more entertaining for everyone when there’s an atmosphere like that.”