Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp assessed his team’s game positively after losing to Atalanta 0-3 in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final at Anfield, Friday (12/4/2024) early morning West Indonesia Time.
The Reds were unable to do much performing in front of their own supporters. Gianluca Scamacca’s brace and Mario Pasalic’s closing goal made Liverpool suffer embarrassment at home which is known to be haunted.
“Unfortunately there is nothing positive to say about this match. I didn’t like our tactical position in possession of the ball. It was a bad match from us. Atalanta played well, scored three goals and deserved to win,” said Klopp after the match as reported by Metro.
“Can we get the situation back? Yes, if we play well, it’s possible. Can we win 3-0? I don’t know but it feels really bad. It was a bad performance and that’s how it is. That’s how we lost. At the moment it feels “They have qualified, but until we play [in the second leg], they haven’t qualified,” Klopp then added.
Based on Opta data, this 0-3 defeat was the port city team’s third biggest defeat when playing home matches on the European stage.
The first serious defeat also occurred with a score of 0-3 when they were humiliated by the Spanish giants, Real Madrid, in October 2014. After that, Liverpool also lost by a difference of three goals with a final score of 2-5 also against Los Merengues in February 2023.
This negative result makes it even more difficult for Liverpool to advance to the semifinals of the Europa League. This is because Virgil van Dijk and his friends must win with a three-goal margin when they travel to Atalanta’s headquarters to open up a chance of qualifying for the second leg of the quarter-finals, Thursday (18/4/2024) local time.
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