Atalanta forward Nikola Krstovic has shared a gruesome injury of his injury from the Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
On Wednesday night, Atalanta secured their spot in the Champions League round of 16 with a dominant 4-1 win over Dortmund at the New Balance Arena.
Across the two legs, the Italian side were the better of a 4-3 aggregate score, and now await Friday's draw to discover who they will face in the next round, with Arsenal or Bayern Munich their potential opponents.
Despite the major win, not everyone at Atalanta will be happy with how the game against Dortmund went, as forward player Krstovic suffered a brutal facial injury in the final moments of the match.
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The Montenegrin was left bloodied after being kicked in the head shortly before the final whistle, and he's now revealed just how severe the injury is, sharing some brutal photos.
In the last minute of injury time in the match, with the score at 3-1 to the hosts, Atalanta were on the attack as they looked for a goal to win the tie on aggregate.
Krstovic, who had come off the bench, found himself in a great position to put the ball into the back of a Dortmund net that had been abandoned by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
However, as he went to head the ball he found himself clashing with a high boot from Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini, who was attempting to clear the ball.
The brutal collision immediately cut the Atalanta forward in the face, as he immediately collapsed on the ground needing treatment.
Following a check from VAR referee José María Sánchez awarded a penalty, scored by Lazar Samardzic to win the match.
But the win didn't come without a cost, as Krstovic took to social media to share photos of his battle scars from the game.
Posting on Instagram, he wrote: "See you soon on the court. Let’s Go Atalanta"
Warning: Graphic Image
Atalanta will discover their road to the Champions League final the round of 16 draw at 11am GMT on Friday.
The draw is being held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
Topics: Atalanta, Champions League, Football, Borussia Dortmund, Injury
Ben McCrum