Atalanta succumbed to their fourth defeat in five matches with a 2-1 loss in Bergamo against visitors Hellas Verona, who now trail the Nerazzurri by just three points. Giorgio Scalvini 82nd minute strike was not enough to overcome the Veneto natives’ two-goal lead, despite seeing more of the ball for the majority of the match.
Speaking of the loss, the La Dea coach Gian Piero Gasperini conceded that his side are in a freefall after a hectic dip in form in recent match weeks that has seen them fall out of the top-six in astonishing manner.
“Our morale is in freefall at the moment. We have to focus on ending the season positively, because we owe it to the fans who support us. The lads did put the effort in today and we’re not very lucky right now, but when we play open games against technically-gifted sides, we often end up losing,” he said to DAZN in his post-match press conference.
#AtalantaVerona, le parole di #Gasperini dopo la sconfittahttps://t.co/3sqZQWIuhN
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) April 18, 2022
The defeat against Verona brings about Gasperini’s first-ever winless three match run in his Bergamo reign, just days after RB Leipzig dispatched Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals.
He commented: “This year we have made an excellent path in Europe, both in the Champions League and in the Europa League. In the league we did very well until December, then we were no longer able to meet the expectations and the usual quality of play.”
Atalanta sit in 8th place, five points off Lazio and Fiorentina who are both stuck on 56 points each.