Atalanta, "The Goddess" Who Saved Italy's Face

The threat of being without a representative in the Champions League round of 16 loomed over Italy after last season's Scudetto winners, Napoli, were eliminated in the league stage, and this season's league leaders, Inter Milan, were eliminated in the playoffs. Then, Atalanta re-emerged as a mainstay. "La Dea," or "The Goddess," once again saved Italy's European glory with a dramatic rimonta.

Bergamo Stadium, Italy, Wednesday (25/2/2026) evening local time or early Thursday morning WIB, witnessed Atalanta's brilliance in the second leg of the playoffs. To beat Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta knew they had to build a lead of at least three goals after losing 0-2 in the first leg at home.

"The Goddess" fulfilled that heavy mission by winning 4-1 to advance to the round of 16 with an aggregate score of 4-3. The desired lead was established in less than an hour of the match through goals from Gianluca Scamacca in the 5th minute, Davide Zappacosta (45'), and Mario Pasalic (57'). A penalty goal from Lazar Samardzic at the end of the match secured Atalanta's victory.

"This is an achievement that will remain in the history of Italian football," said Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino, who did not hesitate to exaggerate his words to describe an extraordinary night for the team, as quoted by Sky Sport Italia.

"We know it is difficult, but it is not impossible. In the locker room, I took advantage of the fact that no one believes in us," he said again.

Indeed, not many expected Atalanta to advance further than other Italian representatives. Moreover, Atalanta's chances are considered quite challenging as they must face the 2023-2024 season finalists, Borussia Dortmund. The 0-2 defeat in the first meeting underscored this.

Italy is sending four representatives to the 2025-2026 Champions League. In addition to Atalanta, there are Napoli, Inter Milan, and Juventus. Napoli was eliminated earlier after finishing in 30th place in the league phase standings.

Two other Italian teams suffered the same fate as Atalanta, having to fight their way through the playoffs and losing their first match. Inter Milan lost 1-3 to Bodo/Glimt, while Juventus was defeated 2-5 by Galatasaray.

The difference is that Inter and Juventus should have better chances since, on paper, their opponents are below them. However, that advantage ultimately only applies on paper. In reality, on the field, Inter lost with an aggregate score of 2-5 and Juventus with an aggregate score of 5-7.

As Palladino stated, Atalanta leveraged their underdog status as a strength to prove otherwise. "The Goddess" did not hesitate to play aggressively and successfully created a total of 14 shots, 8 of which were on target.

The 0-2 defeat in the first match seemingly did not leave them in despair. Palladino stated that his players managed to study their opponents and gained confidence after winning 2-1 against Napoli in Italy after initially falling behind.

Although Dortmund briefly ignited hope by equalizing the aggregate score with a goal from Karim Adeyemi in the 75th minute, the match ultimately belonged to Atalanta. The crucial moment came in the final minutes of stoppage time when Ramy Bensebaini raised his foot high while attempting to clear the ball, striking Nikola Krstovic's head inside the penalty area.

In addition to issuing a second yellow card to Bansebaini, the violation also led referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez to award a penalty. Samardzic executed it perfectly.

"Perhaps this victory is unexpected for those looking from the outside, but we know our worth. We understand that when we play our style of football together, we can achieve great satisfaction," said Scamacca.

This marks the second time Atalanta has salvaged Italy's reputation in European club competitions. Atalanta broke the drought of Italian teams that had not achieved success in the "Blue Continent" competition since 2009-2010 by winning the Europa League in the 2023-2024 season.

Atalanta will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the round of 16. The opponent will be determined in the draw held on Friday (27/2/2026).

Juventus failed to emulate Atalanta's dramatic comeback, despite equalizing the aggregate score at 5-5 with early goals from Manuel Locatelli, Federico Gatti, and Weston McKennie. Gatti's goals (70') and McKennie's (82') came with Juventus limping after Lloyd Kelly received a red card in the 48th minute.

However, with the advantage of players, Galatasaray was able to score two goals during extra time through Victor Osimhen (105+2’) and Baris Yilmaz (119’). Galatasaray won with an aggregate score of 7-5.

"We are tired and disappointed with this result, regardless of our performance. At the same time, we are very proud of the way we played," said Juventus Director, Giorgio Chiellini, as quoted from Football Italia.

Chiellini hopes that the defeat will mark the beginning of Juventus' resurgence in the remainder of the season in the Italian League. Next, the team coached by Luciano Spalletti will visit the home of AS Roma in the 27th week of the Italian League.