Paladino praises Krstović's courage: He is an example of what we are looking for, it is Atalanta's DNA

Montenegrin striker Nikola Krstović is the central figure in Atalanta's sensational run to the Champions League round of 16 despite a 2-0 defeat to Borussia in the first leg in Dortmund.

In the "injury of injury time", with the score 3:1, as extra time was being prepared, Krstović headed the ball into the goal.

He suffered a cut, was slapped, and Atalanta was awarded a penalty, which Lazar Samardžić effectively converted for 4:1 and a win.

However, Krstović's courage and determination were the "highlight" of the evening, a symbol of Atalanta's miraculous victory.

Compliments for the former Zeta striker also came from the coach himself, Rafael Paladin.

"Krstović is a true example of what we are looking for. He threw himself at that ball without thinking, showed immense courage to cross, knowing he could win the duel. That is Atalanta's DNA," said Paladino after the match.

He also discovered what the key was - and that's where Krstović, even in a tactical sense, played an important role.

"In the first match we made too many mistakes and were too cautious. This time we analyzed the opponent in detail, knew exactly what our goal was and realized that we had to change sides of the game more often in order to break them down and get them out of formation," said Paladino.

He placed special emphasis on the role of the attacker:

"I want to highlight the importance of our strikers - Gianluca Scamacca in the first half, and then Nikola Krstović. Their pressure on the goalkeeper was crucial, especially since Dortmund have a goalkeeper who plays practically as a libero."

Atalanta moves on, facing a fierce rival in the round of 16 - Bayern or Arsenal, but the "goddess" can boast of being the only Italian representative among the top 16 in Europe.

Inter and Juventus were eliminated, and before them Napoli.

"I've heard a lot of comments about Italian football and I think it needs to be protected, first and foremost from within," Paladino pointed out.

"We're too hard on ourselves when things aren't going well. We need more constructive criticism, a little more of a positive approach, and tonight we showed that we can do that. Probably no one believed in us, which is why I told the guys that we have to make everyone who doubted eat their words," concluded Paladino.