Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini admitted Milan “made them suffer” for a hard-fought point at San Siro, while also expressing reservations about the penalty awarded to the Rossoneri.
The Dea had entered the fixture on a five-game winning streak, but found themselves behind within three minutes thanks to a dazzling solo goal from Rafael Leao.
“We conceded a goal almost immediately from a situation we had specifically prepared for during the week, knowing it was one of Milan’s strengths,” Gasperini told DAZN after the match.
When asked if Atalanta were surprised by Milan’s midfield setup, particularly the positioning of Ismael Bennacer, Gasperini explained, “It’s natural for teams to have different solutions, and Milan occasionally employs a three-man midfield. While we didn’t anticipate Bennacer being there, we were prepared for Loftus-Cheek on the right. We adjusted Ederson’s position to compensate for De Roon, and it didn’t impact our performance.”
Despite Milan’s strong showing, Atalanta managed to equalize through a Teun Koopmeiners penalty awarded via VAR after Olivier Giroud’s challenge on Emil Holm.
“Milan played very well,” Gasperini acknowledged. “We struggled tonight, but managed to salvage a point despite the difficulties. This was undoubtedly our toughest match in recent months, and credit goes to Milan for that.”
Charles De Ketelaere was substituted at halftime for the returning Ademola Lookman, while Gianluca Scamacca missed a late opportunity to secure the win for Atalanta.
“Every game presents its own challenges,” Gasperini said, looking ahead. “We faced difficulties tonight, but securing a point under these circumstances can only boost our confidence. We hope for a better performance in the next matches.”
Atalanta will return to San Siro on Wednesday night for the rescheduled Serie A Week 21 meeting against league leaders Inter.
The draw meant Atalanta dropped to fifth place, behind Bologna, but maintained their impressive unbeaten run.
Even Gasperini seemed unconvinced by the penalty decision, which left Milan coach Stefano Pioli furious. “The referee consulted VAR, and we’ve seen a lot of these VAR penalties this season,” Gasperini commented. “I’ve never been a fan of this type of penalty, but they have become frequent. Additionally, we’ve had our share of unfavorable penalty calls against Milan in the past, so it balanced out this time.”
“They say this is modern football, fueled by television coverage that enjoys focusing on such incidents,” Gasperini continued. “It’s not something people of my generation recognize, but that’s the current state of the game.”