Atalanta booked their place in the Champions League last 16 in astonishing fashion – scoring a last-minute penalty to knock out Borussia Dortmund after one of their players were booted in the face.
In an extraordinary final few minutes in Bergamo that saw referee Jose Martinez send off Dortmund star Ramy Bensebaini for a dangerous foul, Lazar Samardzic stepped up and rifled his penalty into the top corner with the last kick of the game.
Seemingly furious at the decision, defender Nico Schlotterbeck – who did not come off the bench – and a member of the German side’s staff were also red carded in the dramatic malaise.
Samardzic’s goal put the Italians 4-1 up in the 10th-minute of second-half injury time on Wednesday evening, and 4-3 up on aggregate, securing a dramatic turnaround after their defeat in Dortmund last week.
There was visible concern inside the stadium after Bensebaini’s boot connected with the face of Atalanta forward Nikola Krstovic, leaving the Montenegrin covered in blood and requiring urgent medical treatment.
But he returned in enough time to celebrate his team’s winner, which will guarantee the Serie A outfit a crunch match against Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the next round.
Atalanta were awarded a late penalty after Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini’s boot connected with the face of Nikola Krstovic
Krstovic was left on a heap in the ground, covered in blood and requiring medical attention
Lazar Samardzic scored the late penalty to knock Dortmund out of the Champions League
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