Atalanta delivered one of the most dramatic nights of the UEFA Champions League season as a stoppage time penalty sealed a 4 1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Bergamo, sending the Serie A side into the last 16 with a 4 3 aggregate triumph.
Trailing 2 0 from the first leg in Germany, Atalanta needed a fast start and they got exactly that. Gianluca Scamacca struck inside five minutes, tapping home at the far post to ignite the New Balance Arena and immediately shift the momentum of the tie. The early goal injected belief into the Italian side while Dortmund looked unsettled under intense pressure.
The hosts continued to push forward, forcing Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into a series of sharp saves. Nicola Zalewski tested him twice during a lively first half, but Atalanta’s persistence paid off just before the break. Davide Zappacosta’s effort took a heavy deflection off Ramy Bensebaini and found the net, leveling the aggregate score and sending the stadium into celebration mode.
The second half brought waves of Dortmund attacks as they searched for a crucial away goal. Serhou Guirassy came close shortly after the restart, but Marco Carnesecchi produced a brilliant save to tip his low drive wide. Moments later Maximilian Beier struck the post, underlining the fine margins in knockout football.
Atalanta regained control midway through the half when Mario Pasalic rose highest at the far post to head in the third goal of the night. With the aggregate advantage now in their favor, the Italian side appeared to be cruising. Yet Dortmund were not finished. Substitute Karim Adeyemi added pace and urgency, curling a superb shot into the top corner in the 75th minute to swing the tension back toward the visitors.
As the clock ticked into stoppage time, the match took one final twist. Bensebaini attempted a desperate clearance inside the penalty area but caught Nikola Krstovic in the head. After a lengthy VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot and showed Bensebaini a red card, leaving Dortmund with ten men in the dying seconds.
Lazar Samardzic stepped up with everything on the line. In the 98th minute he calmly sent Kobel the wrong way, slotting home the decisive penalty and sparking wild celebrations across Bergamo. The goal confirmed Atalanta’s place in the Champions League last 16, where they will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the upcoming draw.
The comeback underlined Atalanta’s resilience on Europe’s biggest stage and marked another unforgettable chapter in their growing continental story.
