Atalanta 4–1 Borussia Dortmund [4–3 agg]: La Dea complete historic comeback with last-gasp penalty drama | OneFootball

Atalanta produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent Champions League history, overturning a 2–0 first-leg deficit to defeat Borussia Dortmund 4–1 in Bergamo and progress to the round of 16 with the very last kick of the game.

Backed by a raucous Gewiss Stadium crowd, Raffaele Palladino’s side delivered a night of chaos, courage and composure, scoring four times, surviving a Dortmund fightback and sealing qualification deep into stoppage time from the penalty spot.

As it happened

Knowing only an aggressive start would keep the tie alive, Atalanta flew out of the blocks and was rewarded almost immediately.

After sustained early pressure, Gianluca Scamacca opened the scoring inside five minutes, stabbing home from close range after Dortmund failed to clear their lines.

The goal ignited the stadium and visibly unsettled the visitors, who struggled to cope with Atalanta’s intensity and directness in the opening exchanges.

Atalanta continued to press and doubled their lead midway through the half in spectacular fashion. Davide Zappacosta cut inside and unleashed a stunning right-footed strike from distance, sending the ball crashing into the top centre of the goal and levelling the tie on aggregate.

The comeback was complete shortly after the break. A teasing cross from Marten de Roon found Mario Pašalić, who rose highest to head home from close range, giving Atalanta a 3–0 lead on the night and their first aggregate advantage. At that point, Dortmund looked stunned and on the brink of elimination.

With time slipping away, Dortmund turned to their bench. Karim Adeyemi immediately changed the momentum after coming on from the bench.

After Serhou Guirassy missed a huge chance created by Carney Chukwuemeka, Dortmund finally found a breakthrough.

Following a corner, Adeyemi picked up the ball in the box, shifted onto his left foot and curled a sublime finish into the top corner.

The strike, his 20th goal since the start of last season, made it 3–1 on the night and brought the aggregate score back to 3–3, swinging belief back in favour of the German side.

As the match entered stoppage time, nerves took over. Dortmund were reduced to ten men when Ramy Bensebaini received a second yellow card deep into added time, leaving his side clinging on. His high boot caught Nikola Krstović in the face inside the penalty area, and after a brief pause, the referee pointed to the spot.

With the final kick of the game, Lazar Samardžić stepped up and calmly dispatched the penalty, sparking wild celebrations as Atalanta completed a sensational turnaround.

A second Dortmund red card for Nico Schlotterbeck followed amid the chaos, summing up a night that completely unravelled for the Bundesliga side.

Analysis: history made in Bergamo

Atalanta’s victory sees them become only the third Italian team to progress from a Champions League knockout tie after losing the first leg by two or more goals, joining Juventus (2018/19) and Roma (2017/18). Out of 126 such scenarios in Champions League history, only 16 teams have now managed the feat.

From 2–0 down after the first leg to a 4–1 win on the night, it was a comeback for the ages. Atalanta march on to the last 16, where they will face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich and after a night like this, few will relish the trip to Bergamo.