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Josip Ilicic makes history as Atalanta solidify their spot in the Champions League Quarterfinals

By Quinn Allen

VALENCIA, SPAIN - MARCH 10: Josip Ilicic of Atalanta celebrates with his team to an empty stand after he scores his teams second goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Valencia CF and Atalanta at Estadio Mestalla on March 10, 2020 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by UEFA Pool/Getty Images)
VALENCIA, SPAIN - MARCH 10: Josip Ilicic of Atalanta celebrates with his team to an empty stand after he scores his teams second goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Valencia CF and Atalanta at Estadio Mestalla on March 10, 2020 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by UEFA Pool/Getty Images) /
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Ilicic has been deadly this season, bagging 23 goals in 29 matches across all competitions for the goal-scoring machine that is Atalanta

Last year we had Ajax. This year, it looks like Italian side Atalanta could be the underdog to make a run at European glory. They solidified their spot in the last eight on Tuesday, beating Valencia 4-3 at Mestalla Stadium and 8-4 on aggregate after burying the Spaniards 4-1 in the first leg.

Josip Ilicic was the man to thank for their outstanding performance, scoring all four goals for Atalanta in the second leg tie, including two tallies from the penalty spot. The Slovenian International also netted a goal in the first leg back in Italy, raising his UCL goal total to five in just seven matches. He also became the oldest player in Champions League history to score an away hat-trick at 32 years and 41 days, surpassing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who bagged three goals in 2013 for PSG at 32 years and 20 days.

But it’s not just in Europe where Ilicic is smashing in goals at a ridiculous rate. He has been deadly in the final third all year for Atalanta, who currently sits in fourth in Serie A. He’s contributed 15 league goals in 21 appearances, his best scoring year to date. The fact that he’s finding the back of the net at such a high rate at 32 is extremely impressive.

Ilicic has bagged 17 goals in his last 14 games and is the first player of Slovenian descent to score four times in a Champions League tie. He’s also just the fourth player in the history of the competition to score four goals in one match, joining Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, and Mario Gomez. Ilicic is doing all of this as an attacking midfielder as well. Now that’s basically unheard of. Normally, you only hear of strikers scoring goals at this insane rate.

Atalanta scored eight times across the two legs against Valencia, the same amount of goals that they scored in the entire group stage. But they’ve proven all year long that they’re a force to be reckoned with. No matter their opponent in the quarterfinals, the Italians will definitely put up a fight.

Their attacking-driven style of football is a treat to watch. They have a plethora of pure goal-scorers, with Ilicic leading the way. In 33 matches between Serie A and Champions League play, Atalanta has scored a mind-boggling 86 goals. That’s almost three goals per match. They’re also just third in Europe’s top five leagues in goals scored, behind only Bayern Munich and PSG.

Watch out Europe. Atalanta could be this year’s Ajax. But this time, a 32-year old by the name of Josip Ilicic will be at the forefront.

It’s going to be exciting to see just how far Atalanta can go in this year’s UCL competition.

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