Raffaele Palladino Reacts After Ademola Lookman’s Atalanta Beats Chelsea in Champions League
- Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino has shared his thoughts after his side beat Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League
- Atalanta scored two second-half goals to come from behind and beat the Club World Cup champions on matchday six
- The Blues have now gone four matches without a win in all competitions since beating Barcelona on matchday five
Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino has shared his thoughts after his side beat Chelsea on matchday six of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Striker Joao Pedro scored his first Champions League goal to put Chelsea ahead in the 25th minute after a lengthy VAR check confirmed the goal.
Source: Getty Images
Ademola Lookman had the ball in the back of the net early in the first half, but it was ruled out for offside, and moments later Gianluca Scamacca equalised for the hosts.
Charles de Ketelaere put Atalanta ahead in the 83rd minute, and the Bergamo-based club held on to inflict a defeat on the Club World Cup champions.
The result made it four matches without a win in all competitions for Enzo Maresca’s side since beating Barcelona 3-0 on matchday five of the Champions League.
Palladino reacts to Atalanta's win
Raffaele Palladino has shared his thoughts after his side’s big win over Chelsea to atone for their disappointing 3-1 loss to Hellas Verona at the weekend.
“I am very happy, because it was a magical evening in front of our fans. We played against a very strong opponent, I was impressed by their technical quality and pace. This gives extra value to our victory and confirms what we are worth too,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“As I told them in the centre circle, we cannot be this inconsistent. I want to believe Verona was just a slip-up, as we need this Atalanta spirit and DNA in every single game. They were perfect tonight, we only had a day to prepare for the match, and I thank them.
“This type of performance and result can really boost your self-belief, but now we have to focus on the next Serie A match.”
Source: Getty Images
Palladino's men will turn their attention to the Serie A, where they will host Cagliari this weekend for a chance to get back to winning ways after the loss to Hellas Verona.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca defended his team, claiming that they were the same side that defeated Barcelona, and also the same against Atalanta, and will do better in future.
“Both are the real Chelsea, the team we saw against Barcelona and Atalanta. We were in control until conceding the equaliser, then after that the dynamics of the game changed. We will try to do better in future,” Maresca said as quoted by Football Italia.
Chelsea will host Everton at Stamford Bridge this weekend as they seek to snap out of their four-match winless streak in all competitions.
Palladino speaks about Lookman
Legit.ng previously reported that Raffaele Palladino spoke about Ademola Lookman as the Super Eagles star prepared to leave for AFCON 2025.
Lookman has rediscovered his form under Palladino, and the manager admits that he would be a big miss when he heads for AFCON in Morocco.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
