THE PROTAGONIST. «When I recovered the ball on the goal I was far from the goal and I said to myself “well, now you have to sprint”».
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Reading 1 min.«We played a good game». Clear and essential as in that 70-meter run that led him to score the second goal, Lazar Samardzic comments immediately, still on the pitch, on the victory obtained at the Veltins Arena to the microphones of Atalanta’s social channels.
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«We can improve in many things»
The Serbian, a rediscovered protagonist who seems to feel particularly at ease in coach Maurizio Sarri’s schemes, does not hide that «we can still improve in many things». However, he holds on to a game in which «we all showed what we can do, both in terms of quality and intensity». And he holds on to that great goal of his, with which he practically closed the match by turning the situation around with the ball at his feet after Schalke had hit the post, nearly equalizing: «When I recovered the ball after winning the challenge – he says – I saw that I was still far from the opponent’s goal and I said to myself “well, now you have to sprint”. As I went forward, however, I felt a defender getting closer behind me, so I stopped and made a feint. The ball stayed a bit there, but when I saw the goalkeeper coming out I moved it to the side with the sole and at that point it was easy to score». Maybe not exactly easy, but certainly «beautiful, as it always is to score a goal. Whether in a friendly or in important matches».
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«The team is doing well»
Samardzic nevertheless wants to emphasize that beyond his individual merits it is «the whole team that is doing well. We still have to work a lot, but the path is the right one».
Atalanta, a midfield test fully passed
And it is a path that after a last “taste” curve, the friendly on Friday, August 14 at the New Balance Arena with Athletic Bilbao for the Bortolotti Trophy, will immediately become uphill with the first official commitments of the season: the Conference League playoffs (August 20 and 27 or 26) and the first league match against Sassuolo (23). «The coach – concludes Samardzic – mainly talks to us about the double Conference match, which will be do or die. It is a goal, and we will have to play the right game on both occasions».
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