Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was bursting with pride after reaching the Champions League quarterfinals.

With Josip Ilicic scoring all their goals, La Dea defeated Valencia in Spain 4-3 to reach the quarters 8-4 on aggregate.

At the final whistle, the squad held up a shirt to the camera with the message: 'Bergamo, this is for you. Never give up!'

“The penalty after three minutes was an extra boost of confidence. We struggled a little in the first half, did much better in the second," Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.

“It's never easy, we conceded some avoidable goals, but we wanted to win here and absolutely not come out of here with a draw or defeat. We wanted to confirm the good work we'd done with a victory here too."

He added: “It is something pretty extraordinary that we score so many goals, often four or more. After a difficult start to this competition, we got the hang of it, won four Champions League games in a row and saw tonight that we can do a lot better.

“We know so many people were watching us from Bergamo and received many messages, including the director of the hospital, so we are glad that we gave them a moment of joy."