Pasalic: ‘Ball didn’t want to go in’ for Atalanta during 0-0 with Celtic | OneFootball

Mario Pasalic admits the 0-0 draw with Celtic was ‘rather frustrating’ as Atalanta made Champions League statistical history for wasted opportunities. ‘Sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go in.’

The statistics tell the story of the match, which was almost entirely one-way traffic with 62 per cent possession and 23 attempts on goal to just four.

Incredibly, they even made history as only the second team on record in the Champions League to have over 20 shots and more than 50 touches in the opposition box without finding the net.

Pasalic was the most wasteful of the lot, hitting the crossbar along with several efforts off target or parried by Kasper Schmeichel.

“It’s true, we had a lot of chances and everyone saw the save made by Schmeichel…” shrugged the Croatia international on Sky Sport Italia.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to break the deadlock. We must accept this result, even if it is rather frustrating.”

Pasalic poor in front of goal

epa11677813 Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic (C) in action during the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Atalanta BC and Celtic FC at the Bergamo Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 23 October 2024. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

Although this means Atalanta are unbeaten in the Champions League this season and are yet to concede a single goal, they also played two 0-0 draws at home with Arsenal and Celtic.

Most of their points came from a 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on neutral turf.

“We defended very well and didn’t run any risks at all, so the positive aspect is that we have kept a third consecutive clean sheet in Europe. That is something to build on.

“If we had scored, the game would’ve changed completely and opened up. We could’ve been sharper and more precise upfront, because we did create many opportunities, but sometimes the ball really doesn’t want to go in. This was just one of those nights.”

It was put to Pasalic that Atalanta seemed to run out of steam and ideas in the second half, running constantly into the brick wall of Celtic.

“We created so much without scoring that perhaps we were a bit irritated coming out from the break, like we wanted to get the goal at all costs. In these situations, you risk losing your sharpness and making the wrong decisions.”