Atalanta make giant-killing look easy as sluggish Reds bow out with whimper
Would the Spirit of Istanbul be rekindled in the foothills of the Bergamo Alps to quash Atalanta dreams? Would Jürgen Klopp’s European travelling spectacular one more audacious act?
Klopp did everything to stir a comeback on par with that humbling of Barcelona back in 2019, insisting the same motto would be repeated in the dressing room like a yogi in an ashram keeping everyone’s tantric breathing at the same rhythm: “If we fail, we fail beautifully.”
Except, after Mohamed Salah gave his side the lead in the exact same minute as Divock Origi did on that remarkable Anfield night, the beauty quickly drained from another profligate Liverpool display to ensure Atalanta sailed through to the last four of a European competition for the second time in their history, leaving Klopp to bow out of continental club competition with nothing more than a whimper.
Without the Anfield gravitational pull sucking the ball in, Liverpool just were never going to be the same unrelenting beast to right the wrongs of last week’s first leg, arguably the worst performance of Klopp’s reign. Their travelling faithful, restricted
to 750 due to renovations in the Stadio di Bergamo, just expected more than what they got.
Once the supporters had passed through the barricades of Bergamo riot police clearly anticipating travelling Spartans instead of football fans, the hosts did their best to set Liverpool on the way, gifting Salah the opportunity to get things rolling from the penalty spot. The Egyptian made no mistake. Game on.
Atalanta had previously only conceded once in their entire Europa League campaign, but Luis Diaz almost added a quickfire second, before Salah really should have doubled his and Liverpool’s tally late in the first half.
There was still time, but the second half was an inauspicious sight, with Liverpool playing like the team 3-1 up in the tie. Supposedly chasing the game, on only a handful of occasions was home goalkeeper Juan Musso called into serious action. With everyone fit and available, there was no excuse for such a laissez-faire approach, not with their manager desperate to end on a high.
Real Madrid will remain at the forefront of Klopp’s European nightmares for years to come, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s giant slayers, will be lurking in the mist.