Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was delighted with victory at Europa League opponents Hapoel Haifa.

Atalanta won the first-leg 4-1, with on-loan Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic scoring on debut. Hans Hateboer, Musa Barrow and fellow new boy Duvan Zapata also struck for the visitors.

“It's a very good result. There are always turns in these games and incidents can count, so you must always play with focus," said Gasperini.

“The lads did well in this respect, their approach was never wrong. Sometimes you can concede a goal or not be at your best, but we've always been positive.

“We now have a historic group of players, and the result allows us to plan for the second leg in a certain way.

“A very demanding phase begins for us. I feel we can do even better than last season."