Part of the qualifying round had already been resolved with the 4-1 lead in favor of the Italian team, but the two penalties that the home team was punished with in the first half left no room for a comeback.

It was a goal-filled match, where the exchange of blows harmed Valencia, which suffered excessive punishment.

A clear penalty by Diakhaby on Ilicic, in the second minute of the match and converted by the same player, immediately turned the need to score three goals to win into the need to score four to draw.

Valencia struggled to recover from the visitor's goal, but little by little, they recovered from the blow, and in the first chance they had, a deep pass from Rodrigo allowed Gameiro to equalize.

Although Albert Celades' team grew after the equalizer and had some chances against Sportiello's goal, misfortune accompanied Valencia, as a new penalty frustrated any chance of advancing in the round.

A handball by Diakhaby was punished with a penalty. Ilicic scored again, and the tie was definitively resolved, as Valencia needed five more goals to qualify in just 45 minutes.

After halftime, Diakhaby, who had committed both penalties, was substituted by Guedes, which caused a revolution in Celades' team, as Coquelin and Kondogbia, two midfielders, positioned themselves as center-backs.

Gameiro equalized early in the second half, and the goal made Valencia not give up on the match and at least seek victory in this encounter.

With Guedes on the field and despite the risks involved, Valencia searched for the third goal, which also led to dangerous Atalanta attacks. The physical effort of the Valencia players was more than notable, but they could not find a reward. Although Ferran made it 3-2, shortly after Ilicic, with his third goal, equalized again.

The match could have gone either way, as the attacks surpassed the defenses, and Cheryshev's substitution for Coquelin was the last sign that Valencia's priority was to save players for future commitments.

Valencia, without center-backs, left many gaps in their defense, and Ilicic took advantage of them for Atalanta to win the match at Mestalla as well.