The Celtic 'resistance' that left Serie A top scorers 'frustrated' as rival boss names 2 key factors that contributed to stalemate
The Italians are the current top scorers in Serie A - but they were left frustrated against Celtic in midweek
Atalanta star Mario Pasalic believes Celtic have their goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to thank for saving them from a Champions League defeat in Bergamo.
The Hoops gained a priceless point against the Italian outfit - who are top scorers in the Serie A this season - after a goalless draw in Italy, which puts Brendan Rodgers’ side in a strong position to qualify for the play-off round.
The hosts created several opportunities against the Scottish champions, particularly in the first-half. But they were unable to find a way past a resolute Celtic backline or No.1 Schmeichel. And Croatian attacker Pasalic reckons they should be grateful to their experienced Danish stopper for coming up trumps.
He said: “We had several chances but came up against Schmeichel and unfortunately we couldn’t break his resistance. We have to accept this draw even if it’s a bit frustrating. We defended very well without taking any big risks. The positive aspect is that for the third consecutive game we did not concede. This is a good starting point. If we had scored, however, the game would have changed completely.”
Atalanta boss Gianpiero Gasperini admitted his side did everything but find the net after being stifled by Celtic, with a combination of poor finishing and heroic defending ensuring the Italians had to settle for a point.
He stated: “We did everything we had to do. We did it well, except for the goal, which we could have scored. But we can prove ourselves more than enough because it wasn’t easy to never allow a team to counter attack so quickly. We played with great continuity and attention. Then there were several situations where we could have scored. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
“We have to be happy with the draw but we also have to be satisfied with the performance. We are sorry we didn’t win but we did everything we could to win. We didn’t score, so we have to accept a draw. We played like we did before. We saw all our strikers on the pitch.
“They didn’t score. They tried to score many times but the goal didn’t come. Sometimes the goalkeeper was good but sometimes we were a bit clumsy. We were a bit off the ball but we were a bit slow. It’s not easy for our forwards to play 90 minutes every three days. We have a squad that we try to exploit. The bench has always been decisive for us.”