Atalanta's victory in the 2025-2026 Champions League play-off round has helped Italian football avoid a sad milestone after nearly four decades.
Italian football came very close to making history in this season's Champions League. Serie A champions Napoli were eliminated in the qualifying round, and European runners-up Inter Milan surprisingly lost to Bodø/Glimt.
Atalanta put up a strong fight against Dortmund.
Meanwhile, both Juventus and Atalanta are at a disadvantage after heavy defeats in the first leg of the play-offs. The last time the round of 16 of the continent's top club competition was completely devoid of Serie A representatives was in the 1987-1988 season, when the tournament was still called the European Cup.
In the second leg of the play-off matches played in the early hours of February 26th, Juventus staged a strong comeback but were still unable to change their fate against Turkish champions Galatasaray.
In that context, Atalanta, the least glamorous of the three Serie A teams facing play-offs, became the last hope for Italian pride.
Lazar Samardzic scored from the penalty spot to help Atalanta secure a place in the round of 16.
Trailing by two goals after the first leg against Borussia Dortmund, the Bergamo team entered the return match under immense psychological pressure.
Statistically, Italian clubs have never managed to turn the tide in a similar situation in Europe's top competition. However, coach Raffaele Palladino's team fought valiantly until the final whistle.
For more than half of the second leg, Atalanta scored three goals in quick succession. When Dortmund nearly forced the game into 30 minutes of extra time with a goal from Karim Adeyemi, the Serie A side remained composed and secured their place in the next round thanks to a penalty from Lazar Samardzic in the final seconds of injury time.
This emotional victory not only helped Atalanta advance to the round of 16 but also carried significance that transcended the boundaries of a single club.
Since the round of 16 was reinstated in the Champions League in the 2003-2004 season, Serie A has always had at least one representative at this stage.
In a season as turbulent as the current one, the performance of the Bergamo team has become a "lifeline" for Italian football as a whole.
Notably, Atalanta is not a traditionally strong force in Europe's top competition. Inter Milan and Juventus have won a combined total of 5 Champions League titles, while Atalanta's best result was reaching the quarter-finals in the 2019-2020 season.
Atalanta's achievement has saved the pride of Italian football.
Despite winning the Europa League in 2023-2024, this team has yet to return to the knockout stage of the Champions League in their last two appearances.
Therefore, the comeback victory against Dortmund has boosted the confidence of coach Raffaele Palladino and his team, especially as their next opponent will be either Arsenal or Bayern Munich.