Sarri hails Atalanta fight as Ajax snatch 2-0 in dying minutes
Maurizio Sarri refused to despair after Atalanta were beaten 2-0 by Ajax in the Conference League, insisting his side produced “more positives than negatives” despite a defeat he never saw coming in the closing stages.
La Dea enjoyed a healthy share of possession and carved out decent scoring opportunities in Amsterdam, but were undone by two late errors. The first saw youth academy product Relja Obric muscled off a long ball by Tolu Arodokare, before Abdella Ouazane blasted in off the underside of the bar from the tightest of angles to seal the 2-0 result.
‘The last thing I was thinking about was defeat’
Sarri told Sky Sport Italia: “We made a mistake and it cost us a goal, but it’s not as if we can blame the lads too much for that. The second half we were under pressure, but managed to create numerous chances on the counter, but we failed to make the most of those situations. It was a performance of tempo and intensity, worthy of the European level against a good team.
“Going into the last five minutes, the last thing I was thinking about was a defeat, because the situation seemed to be favourable for us. I am sorry for our fans, so many came here to see us.”
It was only the second senior game for Obric, who also made a costly error on his senior debut at the weekend in a 3-2 Serie A defeat to Milan. The teenager has endured a baptism of fire, forced into the side by a growing injury crisis at the back.
“We need a result to get out of this, but we mustn’t leave the stadium tonight feeling distraught,” Sarri insisted. “A little angry, maybe frustrated, but not distraught, because it was a strong performance, we showed improvement in some areas, and there are more positives than negatives to take from this game.”
Missed chances and a lone teenager exposed
Atalanta swarmed around Ajax on several occasions but failed to finish moves off or even seriously test Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
“I agree, at this level you cannot have three on two and not even get a shot on target,” Sarri said. “I also want to note we should not have left Obric alone against an opponent who is taller and stronger, there should’ve been help from his teammates.”
Sarri points to finishing, not defending
So far this season, Atalanta have conceded plenty of goals and have been far less effective going forward than either the club or a Sarri side is accustomed to. But the coach placed the blame for this loss elsewhere.
“I believe we can improve defensively too. I never mentioned the absences, but we were without four central defenders tonight, and that is a lot. If there is a responsibility for the defeat today, I would put it less at the feet of the defence, and more at the failure to take the scoring opportunities,” concluded Sarri.
The defeat compounds a difficult run for the Bergamo club. As reported on 2026-10-16, Sarri had warned Atalanta to stay humble ahead of their Conference League opener against Pafos and, after a 3-1 win over Pafos that same day, railed against an “absurd” fixture list following another injury, to Giacomo Raspadori.