Sporting Life
Josip Ilicic: Atalanta ace scored five goals against Valencia across two legs in the Champions League last 16
Josip Ilicic: Atalanta ace scored five goals against Valencia across two legs in the Champions League last 16

Valencia 3-4 Atalanta (4-8): Seven-goal thriller at empty Mestalla as Josip Ilicic helps Serie A side advance to Champions League quarter-finals

By Sporting Life
Football
Tue March 10, 2020 · 6y ago

Josip Ilicic hit four goals as Atalanta won a thriller behind closed doors in Valencia to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Leading 4-1 from the first leg in Italy, Atalanta secured a 4-3 win on the night as Ilicic stole the show for the visitors.

The Slovenia striker scored two first-half penalties to seemingly wrap up the tie, only for a Kevin Gameiro brace and a Ferran Torres strike to give Valencia hope of a shock comeback.

That would change when Ilicic added his third and fourth in the last 20 minutes, with the Serie A club eventually running out 8-4 aggregate winners.

Valencia v Atalanta: Last 16 Champions League match played in front of an empty stadium due to coronovirus concerns

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  • Atalanta forward Josip Iličić became the fourth different player in Champions League history to score four goals in a knockout-stage match, after Lionel Messi (2009-10 & 2011-12), Mario Gomez (2011-12) and Robert Lewandowski (2012-13).
  • Valencia are winless in 10 Champions League knockout-stage matches since beating Internazionale in the quarter-final second leg in 2002-03 – this is the longest such run in the competition’s history.
  • Atalanta are the first Champions League debutants to reach the quarter-final since Leicester City in 2016-17, and the first Italian side to do so since in their maiden campaign since Lazio in 1999-2000.
  • Valencia have now been eliminated on each of the last three occasions they have reached the last 16 (also 2010-11 vs Schalke and 2012-13 vs PSG).
  • Atalanta scored eight goals over both legs against Valencia, as many goals as they scored during the group stages of this season’s tournament.
  • Valencia have given away six penalties in the Champions League since the beginning of last season, the most of any side.
  • Valencia striker Kevin Gameiro is the first player to score for three different Spanish teams in the Champions League, also previously netting for Sevilla and Atlético Madrid.
  • Atalanta forward Josip Iličić became the very first Slovenian to score a Champions League hat-trick – they are the 35th different nation to have a hat-trick scorer.
  • Atalanta forward Josip Iličić is the oldest ever player to score a hat-trick away from home in the Champions League (32 years 41 days), overtaking Zlatan Ibrahimovic (32 years 20 days for PSG vs Anderlecht in 2013-14).

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