Atalanta Vs Dortmund: Dramatic Last-Gasp Penalty Keeps Italy in Champions League

In a match that defined the phrase last-gasp drama, the comeback in atalanta vs dortmund ended with a stoppage-time penalty that sent Atalanta through to the Champions League last 16 and left Italy with a single representative in the knockout stage. The 4-1 win on the night produced a 4-3 aggregate triumph and came amid red cards, a VAR overturn and a bloody late foul that decided the tie.

Atalanta Vs Dortmund: sequence of key events

The match unfolded as a rapid swing of momentum. Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring in the fifth minute to give the hosts an early lead. Davide Zappacosta then scored before half-time when his shot deflected off Ramy Bensebaini to level the tie on aggregate. Mario Pašalić added a header in the 57th minute to put Atalanta ahead on the night.

• Marco Carnesecchi made a crucial save tipping Serhou Guirassy's low drive wide in the 49th minute.
• Maximilian Beier struck the post for Dortmund in the 53rd minute.
• Karim Adeyemi, introduced from the bench by Dortmund, curled a 75th-minute shot into the top corner and appeared to force extra time by restoring Dortmund's aggregate advantage.
• Lazar Samardzic then converted a spot kick in stoppage time—the 98th minute, described elsewhere as the eighth minute of added time—to complete a 4-1 night and a 4-3 aggregate comeback for Atalanta.

VAR decision, red cards and the bloody foul that decided the tie

A late cross looked set to find Nikola Krstovic for a simple header into an empty net when a Dortmund attempt to clear struck Krstovic on the head and drew blood. The initial signal of a corner was overturned after a lengthy VAR review and the decision was changed to a penalty. Ramy Bensebaini was sent off after receiving a second yellow for the challenge that caught Krstovic; in parts of the available coverage his name appears as Remy Bensabaini in the provided context. An unused Dortmund substitute, Nico Schlotterbeck, was shown a red card on the bench for protesting the decision. Samardzic's penalty was struck into the top corner and the referee blew for full time before Dortmund could restart the match.

How Atalanta overturned a two-goal deficit

Atalanta had been trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Germany. The home side scored three goals in 57 minutes on the night to overturn that margin and then secured the tie with the late penalty. Davide Zappacosta reflected on the turnaround, saying that many had written the team off but that the group believed and never gave up. Atalanta are back in the last 16 for the first time since the 2020-21 season and will now face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich; the draw is scheduled for Friday.

What the night meant for Italian football

Atalanta's progress ensured Italy retained at least one club in the Champions League last 16, preserving a run that dates back to the reintroduction of the round of 16 in 2003-04. The nation had faced the prospect of having no representatives for the first time since 1987-88, when Napoli went out in the European Cup to Real Madrid. The broader threat to Italian football was accentuated by other results: Inter Milan, last season's Champions League finalists, were knocked out by Bodo/Glimt (also referenced in the context as Bodø/Glimt) earlier in the week, and the Serie A champion Napoli did not qualify for the playoffs after finishing 30th in the 36-team league phase in the provided context.

Commentators and journalists in the provided context described the situation for Italy as near-disastrous. Vincenzo Credendino called it a "piece of history" and framed Inter's elimination as one of the worst moments, while Daniele Verri warned that all three sides failing would have been a "complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs. " Former players and pundits highlighted Atalanta's role: Curtis Davies called them "the darlings of Italian football, " and James Horncastle compared their recent rise to that of Bodo/Glimt, noting that they were a yo-yo club until about eight years ago, have won a European trophy, reached three Coppa Italia finals, and established themselves in the Champions League.

Other Champions League drama the same night

That night produced more knockout-stage drama across Europe. Paris Saint-Germain reached the last 16 after a 2-2 draw left the tie 5-4 on aggregate; Monaco had taken the lead through Maghnes Akliouche, but Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off in the second half and Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored for PSG before Jordan Teze made it 2-2 late on. Désiré Doué reflected on the stress of the ending and stressed the objective of dominating matches while learning to come back from behind.

Juventus mounted a spirited fightback but ultimately fell short in extra time to Galatasaray. The Turin side had been 5-2 down after the first leg, and Galatasaray fended off a 10-man Juventus in extra time; in the provided context it is stated that Victor Osimhen struck in extra time to help earn the Turkish side a 7-5 aggregate victory.

Legacy and immediate next steps

The Atalanta victory marked another notable collapse for Dortmund, who had arrived with a 2-0 first-leg advantage. It was the first time Dortmund failed to convert a two-goal first-leg lead in a two-legged European tie; previously the team had done so successfully 10 times. Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino called the night "an unforgettable night" in the provided context. The Bergamo club now prepares for the round of 16 with the knowledge that they are Italy's sole remaining Champions League representative and will learn their opponent—either Arsenal or Bayern Munich—when the draw takes place on Friday.