Atalanta Vs Dortmund: Atalanta 4-1 (4-3 agg) — Last-kick penalty and late red card send Italians into last 16
Atalanta Vs Dortmund ended in dramatic fashion as Atalanta scored a stoppage-time penalty with the final kick to win 4-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, completing an extraordinary comeback from a 2-0 first-leg defeat and sending the Italians into the Champions League last 16.
Atalanta Vs Dortmund — how the tie turned
Atalanta faced an uphill battle after losing the first leg 2-0 in Germany, a result that, historically, had led to their elimination in each of their last four major European knockout-stage ties when losing the first leg. Needing an early goal to spark a comeback, they struck inside five minutes: Lorenzo Bernasconi delivered a low cross from the left and former West Ham forward Gianluca Scamacca was on hand to tap in.
As Dortmund grew unsettled, Davide Zappacosta added a second on the stroke of half-time when his shot from outside the box took a deflection on its way into the net, leveling the aggregate score. Mario Pasalic then headed home in the 57th minute to put Atalanta 3-0 up on the night and 3-2 overall.
Late Dortmund fightback and the extra-time threat
Dortmund responded when substitute Karim Adeyemi curled a 75th-minute strike into the top corner to make the aggregate score 3-3 and appear to take the contest toward extra time. Earlier in the match Atalanta keeper Marco Carnesecchi had produced a vital save to tip Serhou Guirassy's low drive wide in the 49th minute, while Maximilian Beier struck the post in the 53rd minute as the visitors sought a route back into the tie.
Chaos, injury and the decisive VAR moment
With extra time looming and the game in its third of three minutes of stoppage time, a lightning-quick Atalanta counter produced a floated cross toward Nikola Krstovic. Gregor Kobel failed to clear, creating an attacking chance that ended with Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini attempting to clear. His backward flick caught Krstovic on the head, leaving the Atalanta forward bloodied and crumpled.
Play was initially waved on, but a VAR check for a penalty and possible red card followed. Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez was summoned to the pitchside screen; after review he awarded a spot-kick and dismissed Bensebaini with a second yellow card. The penalty was taken with the final kick of the game.
Last-kick penalty sends Atalanta into last 16
Lazar Samardzic kept his composure under the highest pressure and converted the stoppage-time penalty into the roof of the net, sending Atalanta through 4-3 on aggregate. Home fans erupted at the final whistle as the Italian side completed a comeback that had seemed unlikely after the first-leg defeat.
Reactions, context and what comes next
The match featured stark emotions and blunt assessments. Sead Kolasinac described a whirlwind of feelings in the final seconds, noting that the usual penalty takers had been substituted but that Samardzic’s kick proved decisive. Emre Can reflected that a side prone to individual errors would struggle to progress. Former defender Stephen Warnock praised the penalty and the comeback, adding that the Dortmund coach had been brave with his changes and that the match contained several mistakes, including the one that led to the late penalty.
Atalanta will now face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16; the draw is scheduled for Friday. The match will be remembered for a heartbreaking injury to Nikola Krstovic, a VAR intervention that changed the outcome in the dying seconds, the sending-off of Ramy Bensebaini, and what one summary described as a clash that ended in chaos with a gory injury and three red cards.
All timeline details and match events above are taken from the match coverage of the second leg; some aspects remain unclear in the provided context, such as the identity of the other red cards referenced in the description of three dismissals. Further official confirmations and disciplinary outcomes may emerge following the governing body's reviews.
