Atalanta Vs Dortmund: Last‑gasp penalty and red card flip tie as Italians reach Champions League last 16

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 25, 2026 9:44 PM ET

Atalanta Vs Dortmund: Last‑gasp penalty and red card flip tie as Italians reach Champions League last 16

Why this matters now: the atalanta vs dortmund play‑off reshapes both clubs’ European paths — Atalanta celebrate a dramatic route into the Champions League last 16 while Dortmund must absorb a sudden exit. The final act — a video‑reviewed penalty converted with the last kick and a second yellow sending the visitor off — hands the Italians a 4-3 aggregate comeback after a 4-1 home win that overturned a 2-0 first‑leg deficit.

Atalanta Vs Dortmund: immediate impact on clubs, players and supporters

Atalanta progress to the round of 16 and will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich, with the draw on Friday. The win lifts Atalanta’s supporters into wild celebration at the final whistle; for Dortmund, elimination forces a near‑term reassessment from captain Emre Can, who said the team’s individual errors left them exposed and that they did not deserve to advance. Here’s the part that matters for both squads: Atalanta recover from a two‑goal hole to flip the tie, while Dortmund must contend with a red card and the weight of mistakes on a European night.

How the comeback unfolded

The match began with Atalanta needing an early goal after a 2-0 defeat in Germany in the first leg. In the fifth minute a low cross from Lorenzo Bernasconi found Gianluca Scamacca, who tapped home to get the hosts off the mark. Davide Zappacosta added a second on the stroke of half‑time when his long shot took a deflection and beat the keeper, leveling the aggregate score after the first 45.

Mario Pasalic then headed Atalanta 3-0 on aggregate with a goal in the 57th minute, only for Dortmund substitute Karim Adeyemi to curl in a 75th‑minute strike that brought the visitors back on terms and opened the game up. Marco Carnesecchi produced a key save in the 49th minute to tip Serhou Guirassy’s low effort wide, while Gregor Kobel was heavily involved for Dortmund, having twice denied Nicola Zalewski in the first half and being beaten later.

Key turning points: VAR, the sending‑off and the final penalty

With extra time looming, a chaotic stoppage sequence decided the tie. Kobel failed to clear a cross and Nikola Krstovic stooped to meet it; Ramy Bensebaini attempted to intervene and struck Krstovic in the head — descriptions in the match record note both a reckless high boot and studs catching Krstovic’s head, with the attacker going down bleeding. After a VAR review the referee, Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, was summoned to the screen, awarded a penalty and dismissed Bensebaini with a second yellow card.

Lazar Samardzic then stepped up and converted the spot‑kick with the last kick of the game, sending the ball into the roof of the net and sealing Atalanta’s 4-1 victory on the night and 4-3 on aggregate.

Players and reactions that shaped the night

Scorers for Atalanta: Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta, Mario Pasalic and Lazar Samardzic (penalty).
Dortmund contributor: Karim Adeyemi scored a curling 75th‑minute leveller.
Disciplinary: Ramy Bensebaini was sent off after the VAR check; the referee awarded the penalty and issued a second yellow.
Notable saves and chances: Marco Carnesecchi tipped Serhou Guirassy’s drive wide; Maximilian Beier hit the post for Dortmund; Gregor Kobel had multiple first‑half saves and later a failed clearance that led to the decisive penalty.

Sead Kolasinac described a "whirlwind of emotions" in the closing seconds and noted the team’s penalty takers had been substituted, leaving uncertainty over who would take the spot kick — ultimately Lazar Samardzic converted. Emre Can reflected that individual errors contributed heavily to Dortmund’s exit.

Mini timeline of the tie and what follows

First leg: Dortmund won 2-0 in Germany (leaving Atalanta needing goals at home).
Fifth minute: Gianluca Scamacca tapped in from Lorenzo Bernasconi’s low cross.
Half‑time: Davide Zappacosta’s deflected shot made it 2-0 on the night, leveling the aggregate.
57th minute: Mario Pasalic headed Atalanta into a 3-0 aggregate lead.
75th minute: Karim Adeyemi curled in for Dortmund to make the tie level and threaten extra time; stoppage‑time VAR review then led to a red card and a 98th‑minute penalty converted by Lazar Samardzic to finish the tie 4-3 on aggregate.

Forward signal: Atalanta move into the last 16 and will discover whether they face Arsenal or Bayern Munich when the draw is held on Friday.

It’s easy to overlook, but the match hinged on small moments — a deflection before half‑time, a saved shot in the second half, a post for Dortmund — that all fed into a frantic finish decided by technology, the referee’s review and composure from a substitute penalty taker.

Elsewhere in the Champions League play‑offs night, Paris Saint‑Germain edged out 10‑man Monaco to reach the last 16 after a 2-2 draw that produced a 5-4 aggregate win. PSG had won the first leg 3-2 away; Maghnes Akliouche scored to give Monaco the lead on the night and level the tie on aggregate, then Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off in the second half. Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored for PSG before Jordan Teze made it 2-2 late on. Désiré Doué, who had scored twice in the first leg, said the late moments left the side feeling stressed.

Also, Galatasaray withstood a fightback from a 10‑man Juventus, with Victor Osimhen striking in extra time to secure a 7-5 aggregate victory for the Turkish side.