A stunning late comeback from Paris Saint-Germain spared Neymar's blushes as PSG fought from a goal down to score twice late on and beat Atalanta in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Marquinhos and Eric Choupo-Moting struck in stoppage time to send PSG into the semi-finals of the competition.
Mario Pasalic's stunning strike in the first half looked to have been enough for Atalanta to hold on to the win after an early miss from Neymar.
But Marquinho's scrappy finish put the game on course for extra-time before substitute Choupo-Moting tapped home from Kylian Mnappe's cross to break the Italian clubs' hearts and seal a stunning win in Lisbon.
The coronavirus pandemic had forced Uefa to devise a solution to finish the competition and here it was: a mini-tournament of seven matches, only one-legged ties and all in the city of Lisbon.
And what better way to kick off the quarter-finals with Atalanta, the free-scoring neutrals' favourite against PSG, boasting the competition's best defence and aside from Lionel Messi, two of the best attackers in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Gian Piero Gasperini was without Josip Ilicic and so he decided to put Mario Pasalic in the front three alongside Papu Gomez and Duvan Zapata.
Mbappe was deemed only fit enough to start on the bench following his recovery from an ankle injury sustained in the French Cup final.
Certainly, with the tie being played at a neutral venue, anything could happen. Atalanta perhaps knew they may never get to this point again and were playing like it, pressing PSG in the early stages before Gomez shot straight at Keylor Navas.
The French giants had the first chance to go ahead though and only Neymar will know how he didn't score, bursting clear of Rafael Toloi to only to sidefoot past Marco Sportiello - and the post - when one-on-one.
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Navas was forced into a smart stop next to deny Hans Hateboer as the game began to spark into life, with Atalanta taking the game to their opponents.
Just as PSG had appeared to have settled in the match, the Orobici took the lead - and in some style too. Remo Freuler passed into the feet of Zapata and with some good fortune, he got past Presnel Kimpembe. The loose ball fell to Pasalic, who curled it first time past Navas into the far corner.
It was a brilliant finish and one entirely worthy of opening the scoring in this mini-tournament.
Neymar almost took it upon himself to try to get PSG back in it and therefore only had himself to blame when he spurned another golden chance. Hateboer's pass back to Sportiello was misguided but somehow, the Brazilian forward - usually so composed in front of goal - blazed wide.
After the break, Thomas Tuchel waited to see if his side could equalise before turning to Mbappe. But despite some bright moments, it was evident the 21-year-old would be summoned on the hour mark.
Almost like a thermometer, PSG turned up the heat and began to peg Atalanta back into their own half, with Gasperini switching to a back five reacting to Mbappe's entry.
A flurry of yellow cards disrupted the flow of the game and that appeared to favour Atalanta. But Mbappe's pace was starting to cause problems at the back and only a fine block from Jose Palomino denied the French forward what would have surely been the equaliser.
PSG threw bodies forward as a frustrated Tuchel limped around the technical area. And finally, their pressure paid off. Substitute Eric Choupo-Moting clipped a ball to the far post, Neymar struck it into the box and Marquinhos stabbed home.
But there was still time for more drama as Mbappe supplied the cross to Choupo-Moting and he simply could not miss, striking home from six yards to crush the dreams of the Bergamo club. A sensational effort from the Italians, but it just wasn't enough to see off PSG.
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In case you don't know too much about Atalanta - and that's OK, they haven't been at this level for very long - there are definitely enough reasons to suggest why neutrals admire them.
Photo: AFPTheir brand of attacking football has blown away some teams this year and, of course, it has resulted in them being dealt some harsh lessons. But to score 98 goals in 38 games shows that maybe the risk is worth it.
Away from the pitch, the Bergamo club are leading by example. Their fans reportedly donated £35,000 of refunds for tickets to local charities fighting against the virus.
The club also revealed on Twitter that every time a baby is born in the city, they send out a replica baby kit to the newborn's parents. What a club!
Since the restart
PSG have only played two competitive matches since the restart of football following the coronavirus pandemic but Atalanta have been far busier.
Only Antonio Conte's Inter Milan have beaten them since the season resumed.
W 4-1 vs Sassuolo
W 3-2 vs Lazio
W 3-2 vs Udinese
W 2-0 vs Napoli
W 1-0 vs Cagliari
W 2-0 vs Sampdoria
D 2-2 vs Juventus
W 6-2 vs Brescia
D 1-1 vs Verona
W 1-0 vs Bologna
D 1-1 vs AC Milan
W 2-1 vs Parma
L 2-0 vs Inter
Thomas Tuchel must have thought his days of being sidelined by injury were over when he became a coach.
But the German tactician's preparations for tonight's clash were hampered when he suffered a sprained ankle and fractured metatarsal.
He's now on crutches, which would suggest there won't be exuberant celebrations tonight if his side go through.
Photo: AFP
Pasalic gets the nod
Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has handed a start to Mario Pasalic ahead of Ruslan Malinovskyi with Josip Ilicic still absent.
The Croatian will form part of a front three with Papu Gomez and Duvan Zupata with the Oribici continuing with their tried and trusted 3-4-3 setup.
Luis Muriel, who scored 11 of his 18 Serie A goals from the bench this season, could play the part of super sub again tonight; he's on the bench.
Mbappe on bench, Verratti out
So, it's a big blow for Paris Saint-Germain as Kylian Mbappe is deemed not fit enough to start tonight's match, but he is at least amongst the substitutes.
Photo: ReutersThere is no Marco Verratti in the squad, however, after the Italian failed to recover from injury in time.
It's the line-up we expected from PSG coach Thomas Tuchel, with a number of academy graduates on the bench.
PSG team news Starting XI: Navas; Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Gueye, Marquinhos, Herrera; Sarabia, Icardi, Neymar.
Subs: Rico, Bulka, Mbappe, Paredes, Choupo-Moting, Diallo, Draxler, Bakker, Kalimuendo-Muinga, Dagba, Ruiz-Atil, Mbe Soh.
Atalanta team news
Starting XI: Sportiello; Toloi, Caldara, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Gomez, Pasalic; Zapata.
Subs: Gelmi, Rossi, Sutalo, Palomino, Czyborra, Muriel, Piccoli, Malinovskyi, Da Riva, Castagne, Bellanova, Colley.
Team news coming up!
We're awaiting the confirmed lineups from the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon ahead of tonight's quarter-final. Stay tuned for all the build-up.
How we expect PSG to line up
Paris Saint-Germain predicted XI (4-3-3): Navas; Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Gueye, Marquinhos, Herrera; Sarabia, Icardi, Neymar.
Let's take a look at Atalanta's potential lineup...
Predicted Atalanta XI (3-4-3): Sportiello; Toloi, Caldara, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Gomez, Zapata, Malinovskyi.
