Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed disappointment after his side surrendered a first-half lead and fell to a 2–1 Champions League defeat at Atalanta on Tuesday, criticising the manner in which both goals were conceded.
Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea after 25 minutes, but the hosts emerged stronger after the interval. Goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere turned the match on its head, leaving Chelsea to reflect on missed opportunities and defensive lapses.
Maresca pointed to key moments that shifted the contest:
“After we conceded the 1–1, we lost a bit of control, and then we conceded the second. Both goals were avoidable — they were quite easy goals,” he said post-match.
The result moves Atalanta towards the top of the Champions League standings with 13 points, strengthening their chances of securing direct qualification to the last 16. Chelsea remain on 10 points, leaving them with little margin for error.
Maresca acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting that the Premier League side must be near-perfect to stay in the automatic qualification bracket.
“To finish top eight, we likely need two wins — maybe 16 points does it, maybe not. But the focus is the next match, then the one after. If we don’t win both, we accept the play-off route.”
Failure to win their remaining fixtures — against Pafos and Napoli — could leave Chelsea outside the top eight, forcing them into a two-legged playoff to reach the knockout stage.
Chelsea return to Premier League duties next, hosting Everton on Saturday, where Maresca will hope for a stronger defensive display to regain momentum.
