Atalanta 0-0 Celtic: Resilient Hoops Secure Hard-Fought Draw in Italy

Atalanta Fail to Break Down Resolute Celtic Defense

Atalanta were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Celtic in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie on Thursday night. The Serie A side dominated possession and created a host of chances, but they were unable to find a way past the resolute Celtic defense.

Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart was in inspired form, making a string of fine saves to deny Atalanta. The visitors also defended resolutely, with Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer particularly impressive at the heart of the back four.

Celtic Counter-Attack Threat

Despite being under pressure for much of the game, Celtic always looked dangerous on the counter-attack. James Forrest and Ryan Christie both had chances to give the visitors the lead, but they were unable to find the target.

Celtic will be the happier of the two sides heading into the second leg at Celtic Park next week. The Scottish champions will be confident of causing an upset and progressing to the last 16.

Reaction:

"We're disappointed not to win, but we played well and we're still in the tie," said Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini. "Celtic are a good team and they defended very well tonight.

"We need to be more clinical in the second leg and we need to create more chances. We believe we can win at Celtic Park and we will go there with confidence."

"I'm delighted with the performance of my players," said Celtic manager Neil Lennon. "We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we defended brilliantly and we created some good chances on the counter-attack.

"We're still in the tie and we're confident of winning at Celtic Park next week. We'll need to be at our best, but I believe we can do it."

Conclusion:

Atalanta and Celtic played out a tense and entertaining 0-0 draw in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie. The Italian side dominated possession, but they were unable to break down the resolute Celtic defense. The Scottish champions will be the happier of the two sides heading into the second leg at Celtic Park next week, but Atalanta will still believe they can progress to the last 16.