46 Friday Sports Friday, February 21, 2020 Atalanta thrash Valencia on night to ‘remember forever’ MILAN: Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini in Valencia. “We are satisfied with this victory hailed a performance his club will “remember and above all with this advantage. “Yesterday I forever” after the Italian side crushed Valencia would have signed to go to Valencia in the return 4-1 on Wednesday to take a giant step closer to game with a three-goal lead.” The tournament reaching the Champions League quarter-finals debutants dominated the first half with Mario for the first time. Dutch wing-back Hans Hate- Pasalic having their first chance on eight minutes, boer scored twice on 16 and 62 minutes, sand- but Valencia goalkeeper Jaume Domenech wiching goals from Josip Ilicic and Remo Freuler. pushed the ball over the bar at full stretch. “This is an evening that we’ll remember for- Hateboer opened the scoring just after quar- ever,” said Gasperini. “It’s an amazing result, full ter of an hour, though, meeting a low Gomez of emotion.” It was an extraordinary night for the cross to poke past Domenech for his first goal of side from Bergamo who travelled to the San Siro the season. Ferran Torres struck the post for Va- with over 40,000 of their fans as their home sta- lencia on the half-hour mark, before Eliaquim dium 55km away does not meet UEFA regula- Mangala missed a chance to connect with tions. Denis Cheryshev pulled one back for Goncalo Guedes’ shot across the face of goal. Valencia in the first leg of the last-16 tie at the Marten de Roon and Gomez both fired over be- San Siro, the same stadium where the Spanish fore Ilicic collected Pasalic’s pass and drilled a side lost the 2001 final to Bayern Munich on powerful right-footed strike into the top corner penalties. Valencia, seventh in La Liga, had fin- three minutes before half-time. ished top of their group after away wins over Gasperini’s side put the result on the night Ajax and Chelsea but were missing several key beyond any doubt 12 minutes after the break as players through injury and suspension. “It cer- Freuler curled in a magnificent third from the tainly complicates things a bit, it’s a pretty over- edge of the box. Hateboer completed his brace whelming result, this 4-1,” said Valencia coach five minutes later, ensuring that Atalanta’s 12 MILAN: Valencia’s Spanish goalkeeper Jaume Domenech (right) jumps to deflects the ball under pres- Albert Celades. “In the end it doesn’t reflect goals in their first Champions League campaign sure from Atalanta’s Colombian forward Duvan Zapata (left) during the UEFA Champions League round much what we saw on the pitch.” Atalanta’s run have been scored by 10 different players. Maxi of 16 first leg football match Atalanta Bergamo vs Valencia on February 19, 2020. — AFP comes despite losing their opening three Cham- Gomez had a golden chance to pull a goal back pions League group games, before finishing sec- on the hour mark for the visitors but his weak ef- ond behind Manchester City. fort was brilliantly saved by Pierluigi Gollini in poor Jose Luis Palomino pass to give Valencia an Celades. “The result is clear enough today, but “Three goals ahead is a nice reward,” added the Atalanta goal. away goal and a glimmer of hope to take into the it’s not impossible (to turn around). Let’s see Gasperini. “But there were a lot of dangerous sit- Cheryshev came off the bench and immedi- second leg on March 10 at the Mestalla. “We had what happens at Mestalla, let’s play well in our uations, these are things we’ll need to improve ately scored in the 66th minute, pouncing on a opportunities and we didn’t finish them,” said stadium.”— AFP Messi sees ‘strange’ things at Allegri undecided over Barcelona after social media row future, eyes comeback MADRID: Lionel Messi said Wednesday it was happened. I can’t say much more,” Messi said. PARIS: Massimiliano Allegri is yet to decide ager in his home nation. Alegri revealed he was “strange” to see Barcelona locked in a row over a In a statement on Monday, Barcelona denied where he will make his coaching comeback as he learning English but said that it was simply for company accused of criticising current and for- that it was behind the messages and Bartomeu plots a return to the game next season, the Ital- “personal reasons” and in order to communicate mer players, including himself, on social media. reiterated that stance on Tuesday. “Barca has ian revealed in an interview with AFP yesterday, better when away from Italy. Sources had pre- Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said never hired a service to discredit anyone,” he amid rumors of serious interest from Paris Saint- viously told AFP that Allegri had turned down on Tuesday the club had terminated its contract said. “Not a player, not a former player, nor any Germain and Manchester United. Allegri is pos- offers from big Premier League and La Liga with PR company, I3 Ventures, who had been politician, manager, president or former presi- sibly the hottest free agent in football after clubs since leaving Juve, and media in England hired to improve the image of Bartomeu and the dent.” Bartomeu added: “That is flatly false. We leaving Italian champions Juventus last summer report that there is keen interest from Manches- club’s board online. will defend ourselves where necessary on this with five Serie A titles in as many years and two ter United. According to Spanish radio station Cadena issue, by all means.” Champions League finals under his belt. Allegri was in France to promote the French Ser Catalunya, the company oversaw “dozens” of Barcelona had already threatened legal action And the 52-year-old, who also won AC edition of his book “It’s very simple”, in which he accounts attacking the likes of Messi, Gerard against any media organizations that “continue to Milan’s last league title in 2011, confirmed his in- outlines his football philosophy. He is unusual Pique, Xavi Hernandez, Pep Guardiola and Carles implicate the club in this type of practice”. “Let tention to end his break away from the game at among Italian managers in that he eschews Puyol on Facebook and Twitter. Among the mes- one thing be clear,” Bartomeu continued. “To the the end of the current campaign. “In September Italy’s traditional strong focus on systems and sages the report cited is one expressing anger to- question: Have we commissioned the monitoring I need to come back. If I don’t I’ll get too used tactics and emphasizes the importance of allow- wards Messi for his delay in signing a new of social networks? The answer is yes. “To the to being on holiday and I’ll never work again!” ing top players to express themselves. “The job contract and another questioning Pique’s involve- question: Have we commissioned to discredit Allegri joked during the interview near PSG’s of the manager is to simplify everything that ment in tennis’ Davis Cup. people or institutions through social networks? Parc des Princes stadium. “I still have three more seems complicated,” said Allegri. “The truth is that I find it strange that some- The answer is no and we will take action against months of holiday and that’s good for me.” “The first thing you need in order to win is thing like this happens,” Messi said in an interview all those who accuse us of that.” The controversy However the 52-year-old denied having been great players ... Great players pass the ball, they to be published on Thursday by Catalan newspa- increases the pressure on Bartomeu and the contacted by PSG sporting director Leonardo touch the ball two or three times and that’s it. per Mundo Deportivo. “But they also said that Barcelona board ahead of presidential elections about replacing current coach Thomas Tuchel, They make easy things that other players find there would be evidence. We will have to wait to due next year, and following a period of political and he refused to be drawn over where he might difficult. see if it is true or not. We cannot say much and turmoil at the club. end up, insisting that he doesn’t know what he “A great leader is someone who finds a quick wait to see what happens with all this. It seems a The board were clumsy in their sacking of coach will do next. “I won’t speak about my future, be- solution to a problem, and one who transmits au- strange issue,” added the Barca captain. Bar- Ernesto Valverde last month, when an approach to cause there isn’t anything to talk about for now, thority.” Allegri has managed some of the game’s tomeu has met with senior players, including Xavi Hernandez was leaked while Valverde was still and also because it would be disrespectful to the biggest stars, including World Cup winners Gi- Messi, to explain the case. in post. And two weeks ago, Messi engaged in a other coaches to do so,” Allegri said. anluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba, but “The president told us the same thing he said public spat with the club’s technical secretary Eric On Tuesday Allegri’s agent Giovanni Bran- highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo as an example of publicly, the same thing he said at the press Abidal, who claimed the players were the main chini said that his client’s future lay away from the mental strength that separates the wheat conference.