BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 21: Gianluca Scamacca of Atalanta celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Atalanta BC and Athletic Club at Stadio di Bergamo on January 21, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
La Dea needed a result on neutral turf at the DVTK Stadium in Miskolc, Hungary after the first leg ended goalless in Bergamo. Charles De Ketelaere was still not ready to start, with Thomas Kristensen, Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana injured. Their Serie A season started at the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Sassuolo.
Ederson’s flicked header sent a Lazar Samardzic cross just wide, then Samardzic tested the goalkeeper with a snapshot from distance.
Samardzic was easily the sharpest player in the first half, winning a free kick with a mazy run and then curling the set play just over the bar.
Raoul Bellanova pulled back from the by-line for a Nikola Krstovic tap-in, but Fernand Mayembo made a decisive interception.
Roei Alkoukin fired just over the bar, while Odilon Kossounou and Sead Kolasinac got in each other’s way on a corner to the back post.
Alkoukin had penalty appeals when Kossounou barged into him, but the referee had a full view and judged it to be shoulder against shoulder, and Marco Carnesecchi plucked a looping Emmanuel Boateng header out of the air with Chico ready for a potential rebound.
Krstovic’s scuffed finish was deflected wide on a Nicola Zalewski through ball, while a Mario Pasalic header was too close to the goalkeeper.
The deadlock was finally broken by super sub Scamacca, who scored with only his second touch after coming off the bench. A corner was cleared as far as Lorenzo Bernasconi, whose wayward volley turned into an accidental assist for Scamacca to redirect from eight yards.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv tried to fight back, Carnesecchi’s gloves stung by Alkoukin from 12 yards, then the goalkeeper made a stunning fingertip save to push the Mor Buskila angled drive onto the base of the far post after a corner.
Atalanta are in UEFA competition for the seventh time in the last eight years.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0-1 Atalanta (0-1 agg)
Scamacca 73 (A)
Hapoel Tel Aviv: Tzur; Coco, Song, Chico, Leidner; Falcao (Ferber 81), Kraev (Kancepolsky 77); Owusu (Toriel 68), Altman (Buskila 77), Alkoukin; Pregnancy (Page 81)
Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Bellanova, Kossounou, Scalvini, Kolasinac (Bernasconi 71); Ederson, Gaetano, Samardzic (Pasalic 60); Zalewski (Cassa 84), Krstovic (Scamacca 71), Raspadori (De Ketelaere 60)