“Palladino praises Atalanta’s courage and ignores controversies with referees.”

In an exciting clash at San Siro, Raffaele Palladino, the coach of Atalanta, praised the courage shown by his team after a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan. This result is particularly significant, considering the pressure La Dea has faced in recent weeks, with only one point earned from two matches in Serie A, a 2-2 draw in the Coppa Italia semi-final against Lazio, and, most notably, a crushing 6-1 defeat in the Champions League against Bayern Munich.

“This is a great team. I have demanded a lot from them over the past four months, and I want to publicly thank them for all their efforts,” Palladino said to DAZN Italia, highlighting the fighting spirit of his players. “They fought with such courage, and it is not easy to play every three days, but they delivered a strong performance today.”

The coach acknowledged that the team’s initial approach did not go as planned. “We wanted to play a bit deeper and take advantage of transitions in the first half, but we didn’t do it well enough.” However, Palladino saw the positive side of the result, especially with the return of Ederson and Charles De Ketelaere, who contributed as substitutes after injuries.

“I knew that the game’s inertia could change, and those who came off the bench brought us great energy,” he continued. “Krstovic gave us a big boost; we needed his effort. We also got De Ketelaere back, and Isak Hien won all his defensive duels. The players who can come off the bench are a real strength of this club.”

The match was not without controversy, with Inter feeling aggrieved by a missed foul on Kamaldeen Sulemana by Denzel Dumfries in the play that led to Nikola Krstovic’s equalizing goal. Additionally, the nerazzurri claimed a penalty for a foul by Giorgio Scalvini on Davide Frattesi. “I never talk about referees. Your refereeing expert, Luca Marelli, confirmed that the referee made no mistake here, so I try to respect everyone’s work,” Palladino defended.

With Atalanta now preparing to travel to Munich, where they will face Bayern in the second leg of their Champions League tie, Palladino is realistic about the challenges ahead. “The result is compromised and we have a mountain to climb, but we will play our game against a great opponent,” concluded the coach, making it clear that his team’s fight is far from over.