A Draw Would Not Have Been Unfair Against Juventus - Atalanta Coach Conte

Although Atalanta lost against Juventus 5-2, it was a more closely fought encounter than the scoreline suggests, as the Bianconeri's last two goals were only scored in the final few minutes.

Nerazzurri coach and former Juve midfielder Antonio Conte was hoping for a different outcome but insisted that his team were competitive almost until the end.

"I was hoping for a different match, we wanted to get a result even though we were in an emergency situation," he said after the match to EcoDiBergamo.it. "Despite the defeat I gave my compliments to the lads, I liked their spirit and it wasn't easy to start well in the second half after [Mauro] Camoranesi's goals, also because we could've gone in front before that.

"I wanted us to play for the win, not wait for Juventus and I think that until the first goal we interpreted the match well, then immediately they scored the second goal which put us in trouble, but I complimented the lads for their reaction in the second half.

"I saw a team that looked alive which also showed improved athletically, let's not forget that until the end the match was open. I am more serene now compared to when we lost away to Livorno and Cagliari.

"I try to look at the positive aspects, without forgetting that five minutes from the end the match was still wide open, and if we had drawn I don't think we would have stolen anything."

Danilo Pochini, Goal.com