Palladino: ‘Priority was the Conference League, I’m sorry we didn’t get a result’ | OneFootball

Raffaele Palladino says that he is sorry that he and his Atalanta players were unable to achieve a positive result against Bologna in Serie A on Sunday, but despite their defeat against the Rossoblu, La Dea have now mathematically secured a spot in next season’s Conference League, which the coach says was the ‘priority’.

Atalanta were beaten 1-0 on home soil by Bologna thanks to a 77th minute strike from Riccardo Orsolini.

Click here to see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.

Palladino reacts after securing Conference League football with Atalanta

Atalanta remain in seventh place and Bologna are in eighth, just three points behind them heading into the final round of league fixtures next weekend, but La Dea can no longer be overtaken due to their superior goal difference against the Rossoblu over their head-to-head matches this season.

“I’m sorry we weren’t able to get a result. We conceded a goal that was definitely avoidable. But, beyond the game, the priority was qualifying for the Conference League. I thank the club, the players and the fans,” said head coach Palladino after full-time on Sunday (via TMW).

BERGAMO, ITALY – MAY 02: Raffaele Palladino of Atalanta BC looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Genoa CFC at Gewiss Stadium on May 02, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)

Though Atalanta qualified for the Champions League at the end of last season, Palladino says that he is still happy with Conference League qualification given the situation that the team found itself in during the first half of the 2025-26 campaign.

“There were lots of difficulties at the beginning. We had to start a big uphill climb, but credit has to be given to the guys because they were the ones who had to get us out of difficulty. This result is the sign of an ambitious club where you can achieve great things.”

Palladino insists that he has solid relationships with the Atalanta senior management, which he hopes continues.

Raffaele Palladino and Atalanta director Luca Percassi (@atalanta_bc)

“There’s a great relationship with the Percassi and Pagliuca families. We talk a lot and I thank them very much because when you achieve certain goals, it’s also thanks to an ownership that supports Atalanta. We deserve to be in Europe.”

Palladino also gave his reason as to why Lazar Samardzic and Gianluca Scamacca did not feature against Bologna.

“I wanted to bring them in, but given the state of the game, I made other changes. Bakker returned today and made his contributions and we’re happy with his return to the pitch.”