Borussia Dortmund have reached the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League following a hard-fought and ultimately rather fortunate 1-1 (0-1) draw against Atalanta. Marcel Schmelzer, who came on as a half-time substitute, was the man who scored the all-important goal.

Boris Rupert reporting

The 20,000 spectators at a sold-out MAPEI Stadium "Città del Tricolore" in Reggio nell'Emilia, including a 4,000-strong away contingent from Dortmund, saw Atalanta take the lead in the 11th minute when Toloi stabbed home a loose ball from a corner. BVB left it late to restore parity, with substitutes Marco Reus and Marcel Schmelzer both involved as the visitors levelled.

The scenario:  
The 3-2 defeat in the first leg was Atalanta's first loss in seven matches in this season's Europa League. The Italians were looking to continue their 100 percent home record (three wins, 7-1 goal difference), while BVB had to avoid defeat to reach the last 16.

Personnel matters:  
Dahoud, Götze and Sahin were the changes to the starting XI that played the first leg. "The lads are fresh. We'll need to cover some ground," said coach Stöger prior to kick-off. Weigl (suspended), Castro and Reus (both substitutes) made way. For Reus it would have been his fourth start in the space of 13 days since returning from a long injury lay-off, hence the decision. Schmelzer was back in the squad following a calf problem but began on the bench. Kagawa, Guerreiro, Philipp, Sancho, Yarmolenko, Durm, Rode and Akanji, who is ineligible for the competition, were unavailable. Atalanta started in the same formation as the first leg, having made six changes for their 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in Serie A at the weekend.

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Tactics: 
BVB lined up against Atalanta in a 4-4-2 formation – mostly with Götze up top alongside Batshuayi – without the ball but switched to a 4-2-3-1 upon regaining possession. The visitors, meanwhile, opted for a 3-5-2 system in which full-backs Hateboer and especially Spinazzola down the left fulfilled both attacking and defensive duties. The duo played as wingers going forward and slotted in alongside the back three to make a five-man rearguard when the visitors had the ball.

The match & analysis:
"Be active," were the instructions Stöger gave to his charges, who largely kept their Italian hosts at bay in the opening ten minutes with the exception of one long-range strike. But that changed in the 11th minute when Spinazzola did well to win a corner off Piszczek down the left and Bürki, under pressure from Caldara in the six-yard box, failed to clear the ensuing set-piece. Defender Toloi was the quickest to react at the back post, beating Sokratis to the ball and bundling home with an outstretched leg to put the hosts ahead on the night.

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The aggregate scoreline was now 3-3, but the away goals rule meant Atalanta were going through as it stood. As a result the Italians sat back and adopted a more defensive approach, inviting their visitors forward without ever really letting them through. They continued to threaten going forward too, with an unmarked Cristante heading centimetres wide of the target from inside the six-yard box in the 27th minute. The rain poured down and temperatures were just above freezing in the opening half-hour as the visitors delivered a below-par display, making a series of mistakes both at the back and going forward.

But they fought their way back into the game and scored when Schürrle fed Götze, who put the ball in the net, after a free-kick had initially been cleared. Unfortunately, the goal was narrowly but correctly disallowed for being offside (33). A minute later Götze headed another ball into the penalty area back to strike partner Batshuayi, whose shot was the first threatening attempt on Berisha's goal from the Black & Yellows all night.

Schmelzer came on to replace Toljan at the beginning of the second half but Dortmund, playing in their all-yellow kit, were once again chasing the game and were unable to continue in the same impressive vein in which they had ended the first period. All of the dangerous passages of play were at their end of the field.

On the hour-mark Stöger introduced Reus in place of Pulisic but it did little to change the balance of play, with the Black & Yellows struggling to get into dangerous positions against an intelligent Italian defence. One opportunity fell to Batshuayi in the 74th minute but Berisha made the save. It was the visitors' first real attempt on goal since Götze's disallowed equaliser and a Batshuayi chance, also flagged for offside, around the half-hour mark.

Bürki made an outstanding stop to prevent Gomez from doubling the advantage and killing the tie on the 80-minute mark. With only ten minutes remaining to get an equaliser, the visitors came close almost immediately when Reus fed Schürrle, whose powerful effort from eight metres was palmed away by Berisha (81).

But the Black & Yellows and their 4,000 travelling fans were celebrating two minutes later when Berisha spilled Reus' shot and Schmelzer was on hand to slot home the equaliser from close range (83). The defender's second European goal – and his seventh in total – was definitely his most important.

Outlook: 
The draw for the Round of 16 (1 and 8 March) will be conducted at 13:00 CET on Friday. BVB are next in Bundesliga action when they take on FC Augsburg on Monday evening (kick-off 20:30 CET).

Teams & goals