In a thrilling finale to a Champions League matchup, Atalanta’s Nikola Krstovic was the victim of a brutal foul, which led to two red cards being issued, a VAR review, and a crucial penalty converted with the last kick of the game.
This dramatic sequence unfolded in the closing moments of a high-stakes clash between Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund, ensuring the continuation of Italian representation in Europe’s premier club tournament.
Atalanta advanced to the round of 16 after a remarkable comeback, with Lazar Samardzic sealing a 4-1 win on the night and a 4-3 aggregate victory by netting a penalty in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Dortmund had entered the match with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
“Everyone had written us off,” stated Davide Zappacosta, one of the goal scorers for Atalanta. “But we always believed, and we never gave up.”
Atalanta’s path to victory was aided by an error from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, which created one last opportunity just past the three minutes of added time.
A cross into the box was about to be met by Krstovic for an easy header when Dortmund defender Remy Bensabaini intervened, inadvertently striking the Atalanta player on the head and drawing blood.
A corner was initially awarded, but a VAR review overturned that decision, leading to a penalty kick. Dortmund substitute Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off for dissent, while Bensabaini received his second yellow card for the foul. Samardzic calmly converted the penalty, igniting celebrations in Bergamo as the referee blew for full time before Dortmund could resume the match.
“It’s a night we will never forget,” said Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino. “It’s a dream come true.”
Italy’s streak of having at least one team in the Champions League round of 16 since the format was reintroduced in 2003-04 was at risk after both Napoli and Inter Milan were eliminated in earlier rounds.
This left Atalanta as the last remaining Serie A club in the competition. They now await their next opponent, which could be either Arsenal or Bayern Munich, with the draw set for Friday.
Atalanta began strongly, with goals from Gianluca Scamacca in the fifth minute and Zappacosta before halftime, followed by a third from Mario Pašalić in the 57th minute, taking the lead on aggregate.
Dortmund’s hopes were briefly reignited when Karim Adeyemi came off the bench and leveled the aggregate score to 3-3, but the late drama would ultimately favor Atalanta.
This also marked a historic moment for Dortmund, as it was the first time they failed to progress from a two-goal first-leg lead in European competition.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.