Europe after 26 years of absence, Atalanta managed to win the Europa League group with Lyon, Everton and Apollon Limassol undefeated to progress to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund after a 1–1 home draw and a 2–3 away loss in Germany. In Serie A, they managed a 7th place finish, thus earning another UEFA Europa League qualification, this time in the second qualifying round, while in the Coppa Italia they progressed to the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Juventus. On 26 May 2019, Atalanta finished third in Serie A during the 2018–19 season, and qualified to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history. Atalanta also reached the final of the 2018–19 Coppa Italia; however they lost 2–0 against Lazio. On 9 September 2019, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini was made an honorary citizen of Bergamo. Atalanta qualified to the round of 16 of the Champions League for the first time after finishing in second place in the group with Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb. Gasperini's first match in the Champions League knockout rounds ended in a 4–1 home win against Valencia. Atalanta progressed to the quarter-finals following a 4–3 away win over Valencia in the second leg on 10 March 2020, giving them an 8–4 aggregate victory. However, they were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals following a 1–2 defeat. Style of management Tactically, Gasperini is known for using a fluid 3–4–3 formation and a spectacular high-risk hyper-offensive-minded possession-based system, which relies on the versatility of his midfielders and front line. His team's playing style places more focus on scoring goals, off-the-ball movement and quick, short passes on the ground, and less focus on long balls and the defensive aspect of the game. As such, at times his trademark 3–4–3 system resembles a 3–4–1–2, 3–2–4–1, 3–5–2, or 3–4–2–1 formation, with energetic overlapping attacking wing-backs in lieu of wide midfielders, that provide width along the flanks and push up the pitch when going forward. He has also been known to use a 4–3–3 or 4–2–3–1 on occasion. His teams are known for playing a high defensive line and for being very compact defensively, with little distance between the attack and the defence. During the 1990s, Gasperini's tactical philosophy and teams' playing styles was inspired by Dutch football, namely Louis van Gaal's Ajax side, rather than Arrigo Sacchi's