What They're Saying: Gian Piero Gasperini

• by Soccer America , Jun 22, 2020

“A first smile. It’s nice to say that we’re back and we have restarted from where we were stopped. It’s obvious that some things will never be deleted. But soccer which is entertainment and an incredible passion can help people rejoice again. Our biggest satisfaction will be when fans can return to the stadium because playing in these conditions is really a shame. A win like today with fans would have been a completely different thing.”

-- Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini after the Italian club beat Sassuolo, 4-1, in its first Serie A match in 112 days and the first in Bergamo since Feb. 15. Bergamo was one of the epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak that killed more than 16,000 people in the Lombardy region, and Gasperini — who had COVID-19 — had vowed before the match to help make the people of Bergamo smile again. (AP)