Last-gasp Atalanta eliminate Dortmund to reach Champions League last 16

In added time, a penalty converted by Lazar Samardzic delivered a 4-1 triumph for Atalanta against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, advancing the Italian club to the Champions League round of 16 via a 4-3 aggregate result. 

Although Dortmund held a 2-0 lead from the initial encounter, they struggled right from the start, as Atalanta levelled the overall score by the break with strikes from Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta. 

Mario Pasalic then put the home team ahead in the tie, though Karim Adeyemi's individual brilliance restored parity for Dortmund. 

As the game appeared headed for additional periods, Ramy Bensebaini fouled Nikola Krstovic with a raised foot in the penalty area. 

Official Jose Sanchez awarded the spot-kick and issued Bensebaini a second booking. 

Samardzic fired the penalty into the net during the 98th minute, essentially the final action of the contest. 

Sead Kolasinac, Atalanta's ex-Arsenal defender, described experiencing intense feelings in those closing moments. 

"The referee's call for a penalty left me unsure who would step up, since our usual takers were off the pitch, yet Lazar executed it perfectly," Kolasinac shared with DAZN. 

Atalanta's next opponents in the last 16 will be either English top-flight frontrunners Arsenal or German title holders Bayern Munich, following the draw on Friday. 

This success and progression underscore Atalanta's revival under Raffaele Palladino, who replaced underperforming Ivan Juric in November. 

With Palladino at the helm, Atalanta remain undefeated in league play over 10 outings in 2026. 

The result also spared embarrassment for Italy's representatives in this year's Champions League. 

After Inter Milan's unexpected exit against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday, Atalanta and Juventus, the latter facing Galatasaray on Wednesday while down 5-2 from the opener, stand as the sole surviving Italian teams. 

No Serie A outfit had missed the European Cup knockout phase since the 1987-88 campaign. 

Stunned by their quickest Champions League departure since 2021-22, the 2024 finalists Dortmund must regroup swiftly ahead of hosting Bundesliga frontrunners Bayern Munich on Saturday. 

Dortmund skipper Emre Can admitted to DAZN that his mistake-laden squad merited their ouster. 

"Committing numerous personal mistakes makes advancing tough... We faced misfortune, but truthfully, we lacked the merit to proceed."

Dortmund's hopes "50-50"

Even with their opening-leg edge, Dortmund manager Niko Kovac noted on Monday that progression odds were even and vowed against a defensive posture to protect the lead. 

Just four minutes in, away custodian Gregor Kobel denied a shot from Nicola Zalewski, but Atalanta struck soon after as Scamacca slotted in effortlessly from near range following Bensebaini's botched clearance. 

Dortmund suffered another blow near the interval when Zappacosta's long-range shot deflected sharply off Bensebaini and found the target. 

As Dortmund's advantage vanished, Atalanta maintained pressure, with Pasalic nodding in a Marten de Roon delivery shortly after the restart to take control of the aggregate. 

Adeyemi, coming off the bench, equalised the scores on the night by bending a fine shot from outside the area with quarter of an hour remaining. 

As overtime loomed, Bensebaini's difficult night culminated in a late challenge on Krstovic's head during added time. 

Though he contacted the ball initially, VAR deemed the follow-through reckless, resulting in the Algerian's dismissal and a penalty award from Sanchez. 

The Serbian playmaker Samardzic stayed calm to dispatch the spot-kick with his left foot.