Atalanta have produced a spectacular comeback in the Champions League, eliminating Borussia Dortmund after a 4-1 win in the second leg, which sealed the final score 4-3 over two legs.
Dortmund had won 2-0 in the first leg and very few believed in the Italians’ turnaround.
However, Atalanta scored two quick goals in the first half through Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta, turning the deficit around.
Then Mario Pašalić scored the third goal, bringing the Bergamo team closer to the lead.
Karim Adeyemi restored the excitement for Dortmund with a beautiful goal in the 75th minute, sending the game into extra time.
There, the drama was at its peak: in the fifth minute of extra time, Remy Bensebaini kicked Nikola Krstović in the head, causing him to bleed.
After a VAR review, the referee gave a red card to Bensebain and a penalty to Atalanta. Lazar Samadrzic calmly converted and sealed the Italian team’s passage.
Berat Gjimishit entered the game in the second half and played until the end.
With this historic victory, Atalanta secured a place in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League and showed that Italian football can surprise.