Pasalic strikes late as Atalanta edge past Club Brugge | OneFootball

Atalanta staged a stirring late comeback to defeat Club Brugge 2-1 at the Gewiss Stadium, keeping their Champions League campaign firmly on track.

In a gripping contest under the Bergamo lights, the hosts overturned a first-half deficit to snatch victory courtesy of Mario Pasalic’s dramatic 87th-minute header.

The Belgian visitors struck first, silencing the home crowd in the 38th minute. Christos Tzolis latched onto Nicolo Tresoldi’s pass and rifled a crisp right-footed effort beyond Marco Carnesecchi to hand Brugge the lead.

For much of the opening half, the Italians struggled to impose themselves, with Brugge appearing well-drilled and confident in possession.

But the Italian side emerged from the interval with renewed urgency, and their persistence paid off. Midway through the second half, Lazar Samardzic kept his cool from the penalty spot, slotting into the bottom-right corner to level matters on 74 minutes. The Gewiss erupted, sensing momentum had shifted.

The decisive moment arrived with just three minutes of normal time remaining. A Yunus Musah corner was met perfectly by Pasalic, whose thumping header flew past Simon Mignolet to seal the points and spark jubilant celebrations.

For Brugge, there will be frustration at letting a valuable away result slip from their grasp. For Atalanta, it was another night of character and drama in Europe.

Incidents: The story of the match

1':

The match begins

3':

Missed opportunity! Lorenzo Bernasconi from Atalanta takes a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it goes just wide.

15':

Opportunity wasted. Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge attempted a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed over the goal. The assist came from Carlos Forbs.

16':

Opportunity wasted. Joel Ordóñez from Club Brugge attempted a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area but failed to find the target. The assist was provided by Joaquin Seys.

28':

Missed opportunity. Nikola Krstovic of Atalanta attempted a header from the center of the box following a corner, but it went wide.

Club Brugge takes the lead with a score of 1-0 against Atalanta. Christos Tzolis scores with a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner of the net, assisted by Nicolò Tresoldi.

38':

GOAL Club Brugge: Christos Tzolis (Club Brugge) scores!

Christos Tzolis scores goal number 1 in the competition (2 matches)

54':

Opportunity wasted. Davide Zappacosta from Atalanta attempted a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area but it went wide to the left.

54':

Missed opportunity. Ahanor from Atalanta attempted a header from the right side of the six-yard box, but it went over the bar and to the right. The assist came from Ademola Lookman, who delivered a cross following a corner kick.

68':

Missed opportunity! Lazar Samardzic from Atalanta attempted a left-footed shot from a challenging angle on the left side, but it sailed high and wide to the left. The assist came from Lorenzo Bernasconi.

It's now 1-1 between Atalanta and Club Brugge. Lazar Samardzic from Atalanta successfully scores the penalty, placing a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.

74':

GOALAtalanta: Lazar Samardzic (Atalanta) scores penalty-kick!

Lazar Samardzic scores goal number 1 in the competition (2 matches)

79':

Missed opportunity! Kamaldeen Sulemana from Atalanta takes a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it narrowly misses the top right corner of the goal.

85':

Missed opportunity! Kamaldeen Sulemana from Atalanta took a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed high and to the right. The assist came from Yunus Musah.

87':

Missed opportunity! Yunus Musah of Atalanta attempted a header from the center of the box but failed to find the target. The cross was delivered by Lazar Samardzic following a corner kick.

Atalanta takes the lead with a score of 2-1 against Club Brugge. Mario Pasalic scores with a close-range header following a corner kick.Atalanta takes the lead 2-1 against Club Brugge. Mario Pasalic scores with a header from close range, sending the ball to the top center of the net. The assist comes from Yunus Musah following a corner kick.

87':

GOAL Atalanta: Mario Pasalic (Atalanta) scores!

Mario Pasalic scores goal number 1 in the competition (2 matches)

998':

The referee whistles for the end of the match