Atalanta salvage Italian pride with stoppage‑time penalty to oust Dortmund
atalanta completed a dramatic comeback to knock Borussia Dortmund out of the Champions League when Lazar Samardzic curled a stoppage‑time penalty into the top corner, sealing a 4-1 victory on the night and a 4-3 aggregate triumph that leaves Italy with a lone representative in the last 16.
Atalanta’s stoppage‑time drama
Lazar Samardzic converted a penalty in the 98th minute after a VAR review to cap a sensational finish in Bergamo and send the hosts through. The decisive spot kick came after Nikola Krstovic was struck on the head when a Dortmund defender’s studs caught him in the box; Krstovic went down bleeding and what had initially been given as a corner was overturned to a penalty following a lengthy VAR check.
How the game unfolded in Bergamo
The Serie A side had trailed 2-0 from the first leg in Germany but raced into a 3-0 lead on the night. Gianluca Scamacca tapped in in the fifth minute, Davide Zappacosta’s shot went in a deflection off Ramy Bensebaini to make it 2-0 at half‑time, and Mario Pašalić headed a third in the 57th minute. Dortmund substitute Karim Adeyemi curled a 75th‑minute shot into the top corner to pull the visitors level on aggregate before the late, late drama.
VAR, red cards and a bloody foul
Two dismissals punctuated the final moments. Ramy Bensebaini (spelled Remy Bensabaini in another account in the provided context) received a second yellow for the foul on Krstovic, and unused Dortmund substitute Nico Schlotterbeck was shown a red card on the bench after protesting. The referee blew for full time before Dortmund could restart play.
What it means for Italian football
The result leaves Italy with only one club in the Champions League last 16. With Inter Milan eliminated by Bodø/Glimt on Tuesday and Juventus coming up short against Galatasaray after a strong fightback, Atalanta’s comeback averted the first Champions League last‑16 without an Italian club since 1987-88, when Napoli went out in the first round of the European Cup to Real Madrid. Since the reintroduction of the last‑16 in 2003-04, there has always been at least one Italian representative.
Voices from the night
"Everyone had written us off, " said Davide Zappacosta after scoring and seeing his side through. Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino summed it up as "an unforgettable night" and "a dream come true. " Defender Sead Kolasinac described a "whirlwind of emotions" in the final seconds and noted that "all our penalty takers had been substituted, but luckily Lazar converted brilliantly. " Dortmund captain Emre Can said his team’s individual errors made progression difficult: "If you make so many individual errors, it’s going to be difficult to progress. We were very unlucky, but to be honest we didn’t deserve to advance. " UEFA noted it was the first time Dortmund had failed to convert a two‑goal, first‑leg lead in a two‑legged European matchup; the team had done so successfully 10 times before.
Broader knockout roundup
Elsewhere in the round‑of‑16 qualifiers Paris Saint‑Germain reached the last 16 after a 2-2 draw that gave them a 5-4 aggregate win over 10‑man Monaco. PSG had won 3-2 away in the first leg; Maghnes Akliouche put Monaco ahead on the night before Mamadou Coulibaly’s second‑half sending‑off swung the tie back in PSG’s favour and Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia found the net, though Jordan Teze made it 2-2 late on. Désiré Doué, who scored twice for PSG in the first leg, said: "At the end, when they scored, we felt stressed and it was scary. The objective is to dominate the whole match, but you also have to know how to come back from behind. Next time, we’ll try not to concede a goal, that’s important. " Galatasaray fended off a rousing fightback by 10‑man Juventus, with Victor Osimhen striking in extra time in a tie that finished 7-5 on aggregate in the Turkish side’s favour.
What’s next for Atalanta and Italy’s hopes
Atalanta are back in the last 16 for the first time since the 2020-21 season and will play either Arsenal or Bayern Munich; the draw is on Friday. The wider significance for Serie A was stark: Napoli didn’t even make the playoffs after finishing in 30th place in the 36‑team league phase, Inter’s elimination by tiny Norwegian team Bodø/Glimt left Serie A reliant on Atalanta alone, and Italian commentators warned of a near‑historic low. Journalist Vincenzo Credendino called it "a piece of history" and "one of the worst pieces" for Italy and Inter, while Daniele Verri said all three sides failing would have been a "complete debacle, a disaster for our clubs. " Former defender Curtis Davies declared, "Now Atalanta are the darlings of Italian football, " and European expert James Horncastle likened them to "Serie A's Bodo/Glimt, " noting how the club has climbed from a yo‑yo side to regular European challengers.
The next confirmed event is the Champions League last‑16 draw on Friday, which will determine whether Atalanta faces Arsenal or Bayern Munich.
