Palladino brandishes bloodstained bandage in rousing speech after Atalanta’s UCL win | OneFootball

Raffaele Palladino hailed Nikola Krstovic in a dressing room address, holding up a bloodstained bandage, after Atalanta eliminated Borussia Dortmund 4-3 on aggregate to reach the Champions League Round of 16.

The stoppage-time penalty arrived when Ramy Bensebaini caught Krstovic in the head, and Lazar Samardzic converted to score his team’s fourth. According to Football Italia, a club Instagram video showed Palladino asking team-mates to give the striker a huge round of applause while holding the bloodstained bandage.

The coach praised Krstovic for throwing himself at the final ball to win the spot-kick, addressing the squad with Luca and Antonio Percassi present.

Krstovic later posted on social media to show the consequences of Bensebaini’s reckless challenge, though he appeared in good spirits after a memorable night in Bergamo.

Atalanta are the only Serie A club to have qualified for the Round of 16. They will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich, with their next opponents to be decided in tomorrow’s draw.

Source: Football Italia