A year after ‘Game Zero,’ Atalanta welcomes Real Madrid

Just over a year after “Game Zero,” Atalanta is back in the knockout round of the Champions League.

Last year’s match, against Valencia in nearby Milan on Feb. 19, was the biggest in the club’s history and a third of Bergamo’s population made the short trip to San Siro for what turned out to be a 4-1 victory.

A short time later, military trucks were driving coffins out of Bergamo because the crematorium couldn’t keep up as the small city became one of the epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak in Italy.

The match was dubbed “Game Zero” because of the spread of the disease that followed both in northern Italy and in Spain.

More than 40,000 fans inside the stadium enthusiastically celebrated each of Atalanta’s four goals that day — the last time the team played in front of its own supporters.

On Wednesday, Atalanta will host Real Madrid in the first leg of the round of 16 in an empty Gewiss Stadium, which has been newly renovated.

“It certainly takes a lot away from us,” Atalanta forward Luis Muriel said. “I believe that for the people of Bergamo, not being able to be here at these great events — especially playing in our own stadium and not like last year when we played in Milan — is a great disappointment.

“These moments should certainly be shared with them. They have always been close to a team that for so many years always fought for the lower places. It’s sad not to be able to play these matches with fans.”