Atalanta’s 6-1 loss vs. Bayern Munich ’embarrassing’ for Italian football

La Gazzetta dello Sport examines Atalanta’s 6-1 loss to Bayern Munich, calling it ‘an embarrassment for Serie A and Italian football.’

Atalanta, the last Serie A club remaining in the Champions League, suffered a humiliating 6-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich last night in the Round of 16 first leg.

Fabio Capello noted that the result was a “lesson” for Italian football, and Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Luigi Garlando had exactly the same feeling.

Atalanta’s huge defeat an ’embarrassment for Serie A and Italian football’

“In the last Champions League, the last Italian team remaining, Inter, conceded five goals in the Final in Munich. This year, the last one to go out, Atalanta, conceded six at home against the team from Munich,” the journalist wrote.

“There’s no point beating around the bush. It wasn’t just an embarrassment for Atalanta. First and foremost, it was an embarrassment for Serie A and Italian football.”

Juventus and Inter were eliminated in the knockout play-off, while Napoli didn’t even go beyond the league phase.

“The defending Serie A champions, Napoli, finished in 39th in the league phase. The current league leaders, Inter, were knocked out before the Round of 16 by the honest but hardly galactic Bodo/Glimt,” continued Garlando.

“Add that to Norway’s aggregate 7-1 win over Italy, draw a line, and do the math: this is who we are.”

Italy will play in Bergamo in just two weeks, hosting Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semifinal.

“The good part, so to speak, is that in 15 days, in this very stadium, our national team will face Northern Ireland to try to avert a third Apocalypse,” Garlando sadly concluded.

“If Gattuso was hoping for a morale boost from our top clubs in Europe, he didn’t get it.”