Atalanta get the party started after sealing Champions League return

Atalanta will waste no time in celebrating their Champions League qualification, so says Gian Piero Gasperini.

A 2-1 win over Roma on Monday sealed Atalanta’s return to the Champions League.

Atalanta will compete in Europe’s elite club competition for the fifth time.

“Let’s celebrate now, we can’t waste time,” Gasperini told DAZN after securing third spot in Serie A.

Atalanta, on 71 points, are seven points above fourth-placed Juventus with two games remaining, which allows the Bergamo side to take a more relaxed approach to their final two fixtures against Genoa and lowly Parma.

“Now it’s a beautiful evening, we have two weeks to enjoy this season,” Gasperini said.

“In the Champions League we finished ninth out of 36 teams, missing direct qualification [to the knockout rounds] by one point.

“For us it was formidable, there will be time and opportunity to think about the rest.”

Una cosa sola #AtalantaRoma #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/4uc3wAS2xS

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) May 12, 2025

Atalanta went on an 11-game winning streak earlier this season, which took them top of the standings in December, but a winless run of four matches dropped them to third place, where they have remained ever since.

They then suffered three consecutive defeats starting with a home loss to Inter in mid-March, further complicating their title race bid.

But Gasperini stressed that Atalanta must nevertheless be proud of their achievement.

“I’m happy because it’s a fantastic achievement for Atalanta,” Gasperini added.

“We’ve been [competing] with Napoli and Inter Milan for a few weeks but I think this was the highest achievement.

“Having left behind so many strong teams that have made this championship beautiful is a great result, it’s been a long season with some fantastic peaks and moments of difficulty from which we have recovered in this final with the decisive sprint.”

While Atalanta have won three consecutive games against Roma in Serie A for the first time since the period between September 2019 and December 2020 (three), Claudio Ranieri’s Roma lost a league game for the first time in 2025, ending a streak of 19 consecutive positive results in the tournament (W14, D5).

Roma sit sixth, just a point behind Juve in an enthralling race for the final Champions League spot.