Italian club Atalanta produced a thrilling comeback on Tuesday night, beating Chelsea 2–1 in Bergamo to secure a crucial UEFA Champions League victory.
Chelsea opened the scoring after 25 minutes when Joao Pedro capitalised on a quickly taken corner, sweeping in Reece James’ precise low cross. A brief VAR check confirmed the goal, and the visitors maintained control until halftime.
Atalanta emerged revitalised for the second half and thought they had equalised through Nigerian Ademola Lookman, but his effort was correctly ruled out for offside. The hosts then equalised in the 55th minute, when Gianluca Scamacca nodded home.
The momentum stayed firmly with Atalanta, whose swift wing play repeatedly troubled Chelsea’s back line.
Their dominance was rewarded late on when Charles De Ketelaere surged into the area and struck a low shot, beating Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
Chelsea mounted a late rally and created several chances, but poor finishing and resilient defending ensured Atalanta held on for a significant victory.
Goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere lifted the Italian side to 13 points, strengthening their push for direct qualification to the round of 16, while Chelsea remain on 10 points in the playoff zone.
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League results
Kairat 0-1 Olympiacos
Bayern Munich 3-1 Sporting
AS Monaco 1-0 Galatasaray
Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea
Barcelona 2-1 Frankfurt
Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool
PSV 2-3 Atletico Madrid
USG 2-3 Marseille
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Slavia Praha.