Atalanta missed out on an automatic place in the Champions League last 16 as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Barcelona on Wednesday.
2024/2025 UEFA Champions League
2-2
Match Report
Last season's Europa League winners, who were missing Ademola Lookman through injury, ultimately needed a victory away from home due to results elsewhere in the final round of league-phase matches.
Atalanta slipped out of the top eight despite twice coming from behind to earn a point against a Barca side who were already sure of advancing and finished second in the table.
Lamine Yamal gave the Blaugrana the lead two minutes after half-time, before Ederson equalised for Atalanta with a stunning effort from the edge of the box.
Ronald Araujo restored Barca's advantage with a header from a corner, but Atalanta were level again when Mario Pasalic nutmegged Wojciech Szczesny with a low strike.
There was to be no late twist, though, and the Serie A side will instead enter the play-off round as the top seeds in ninth place.
Barça to face one of the following teams in the @ChampionsLeague last 16: pic.twitter.com/eh5meCckLS
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 29, 2025
Data debrief: Raphinha continues astonishing season
It was always going to be a tough ask for Atalanta to outscore Barcelona, whose 28 goals in the Champions League this season are the most of any side. Only in 2011-12 (30) have Barca netted more through their first eight games of a campaign.
Raphinha has been involved in 12 of those 28 goals, having followed up his goalscoring heroics at Benfica the previous week with a pair of assists for Yamal and Araujo.
Only Lionel Messi and Luis Figo have ever been involved in more Barca goals in a Champions League campaign, albeit Messi did so on six occasions.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
4' Szczesny, under pressure in the box, cleared it over the byline for safety.
11' Balde's clearance headed goalward, but Szczesny made the save.
12' Attempt missed. Lamine Yamal left footed shot from outside the box.
27' Lamine Yamal left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved.
36' Davide Zappacosta's right-footed strike from the box was ruled offside.
47' GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Atalanta (Yamal)
47' Attempt saved. Raphinha left footed shot from outside the box is saved
49' Hien's suspected handball in the box, but no penalty was given.
51' Pasalic left footed shot is saved in the bottom right corner
54' Raphinha free kick shot from long range on the right is saved.
60' Yamal made a counterattack, Rafinha made a cross but Lewandowski missed the goal
62' Yamal right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved
67' GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Atalanta (Éderson scored with a long shot)
69' Match Event for Barcelona vs Atalanta
71' GOAL! Barcelona 2-1 Atalanta (Ronald Araujo)
79' GOAL! Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta (Mario Pasalic)
Line-ups
Barcelona XI: Szczesny, Lewandowski, De Jong, Raphinha, Kounde, Araujo, Eric Garcia, Pedri, Balde, Gavi, Yamal
Subs: Pena, Ferran Torres, Fati, Casado, Pau Víctor, Pablo Torre, Fermín López, Gerard Martín, Héctor Fort, Cubarsi, Diego Kochen
Atalanta XI: De Roon, Djimsiti, Zappacosta, Kolasinac, Pasalic, Bellanova, Marco Carnesecchi, Isak Hien, Mateo Retegui, Éderson, De Ketelaere
Subs: Patricio, Cuadrado, Toloi, Rossi, Zaniolo, Brescianini, Lazar Samardžić, Matteo Ruggeri, Giorgio Scalvini, Vanja Vlahovic, Marco Palestra, Federico Cassa