Atalanta staged a thrilling late comeback to secure a 2-1 victory over Club Brugge in the Champions League. Lazar Samardzic and Mario Pasalic were the heroes, overturning Christos Tzolis' first-half goal for Brugge. This win was crucial for Atalanta, who were recovering from a heavy defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
Brugge's Tzolis opened the scoring with a precise shot into the bottom-right corner. Earlier, he had missed an opportunity by sending the ball over the crossbar. Atalanta struggled initially, with Lorenzo Bernasconi's volley being their best chance in the first half, which ended without any shots on target for them.
In the second half, Atalanta improved significantly. Davide Zappacosta, who came on at halftime, narrowly missed after controlling
the ball well. The turning point came when Brugge's goalkeeper Nordin Jackers fouled Pasalic, leading to a penalty that Samardzic converted confidently.
Pasalic was instrumental in Atalanta's comeback. After winning the penalty that led to their equaliser, he scored the decisive goal from a corner routine just three minutes before full-time. His performance mirrored his previous success against Brugge in last season's knockout stage.
Yunus Musah also played a vital role for Atalanta, creating two chances and providing an assist. Despite limited opportunities throughout the match, both teams managed only five shots on target combined. Atalanta capitalised on their chances effectively, scoring twice from three attempts.
πππ πππππ ππππ ππππππ ππππππ ππππ πππππ #UCL #AtalantaBrugge #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/Y2sAm2CkpLAtalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) September 30, 2025
Statistical Insights and Performance Analysis
The match statistics highlighted Atalanta's efficiency in front of goal. They achieved an expected goals (xG) value of 2.99 compared to Bruggeβs 0.86, reflecting their superior attacking performance despite fewer overall attempts.
Hugo Vetlesen nearly restored Bruggeβs lead after Samardzicβs equaliser but narrowly missed following a mistake by Marco Carnesecchi, Atalanta's goalkeeper. This miss proved costly as Pasalic sealed the win shortly after.
This victory marked an important step for Atalanta in their Champions League campaign, showcasing their ability to bounce back and perform under pressure against strong opposition like Club Brugge.
