A stoppage-time Lazar Samardzic penalty gave Atalanta a 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, sending the Italian side into the last 16 of the Champions League 4-3 on aggregate.
Dortmund led 2-0 from the first leg but were on the back foot from the opening whistle, with Atalanta neutralising the visitors’ advantage by half-time thanks to goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta.
Mario Pasalic gave the hosts the lead in the tie, but Karim Adeyemi’s solo effort dragged Dortmund level.
With the match set for extra time, Ramy Bensebaini was penalised for catching Nikola Krstovic in the face with a high boot in the box.
Referee Jose Sanchez duly pointed to the spot and handed Bensebaini a second yellow card.
Samardzic blasted home the penalty in the 98th minute with virtually the last kick of the match.
Atalanta’s former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac said he went through “a whirlwind of emotions” in the final seconds.
“When the referee decided for a penalty, I didn’t know who would take it. All our penalty takers had been substituted, but luckily Lazar converted brilliantly,” Kolasinac told DAZN.
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Atalanta will meet either Premier League leaders Arsenal or German champions Bayern Munich in the last 16, with the draw to be held on Friday.
The victory and qualification continue Atalanta’s resurgence under Raffaele Palladino, who took over from the struggling Ivan Juric in November.
Under Palladino, Atalanta are unbeaten domestically in 10 matches in 2026.
The victory also helped save the blushes of Italy’s Champions League sides in this season’s competition.
Inter Milan’s surprise elimination to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday left Atalanta and Juventus, who host Galatasaray later on Wednesday, trailing 5-2 from the first leg, as the only remaining Serie A sides in the competition.
Not since 1987-88 had a Serie A club failed to make it to the last 16 of the European Cup.
Floored by their earliest Champions League exit since 2021-22, 2024 finalists Dortmund will need to pick up the pieces quickly, with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich set to visit on Saturday.
Dortmund captain Emre Can told DAZN that his error-prone side deserved their elimination.
