The rearranged fixture of Matchday 18 of the 2020-2021 Primavera 1 TIM “Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti” championship brought great satisfaction to Massimo Brambilla. Atalanta won 2-1 against Empoli and it is the fourth straight win for the Nerazzurri: “We were afraid of this match because we played against a team in good shape, that are technically good. The pitch was very small and they always play aggressively there. Some of our players were absent but I was sure that the boys who played would give a good performance. It was a tough game, we adapted to all the circumstances that the situation required: we dribbled less and we tried to play long balls. They had a solid start, it went well for us when they hit the crossbar. Then, we got used to the pitch little by little and did all that was needed to be done, and we grew into the game. The second half was pretty balanced. Sadly, we conceded a late goal that made us struggle even more in the final minutes. But it’s okay, considering that we faced a great team like Empoli”.

Atalanta gained three points that allowed them to reach fifth place on the table: “It was a decisive game. We were tied on points with Empoli and, surely, these are heavy points. All we need to do is to keep on going like this. We hope to have back as many players as possible to give some players some breathing room, but it’s important to congratulate everybody on how they handled today’s match”.