- Borussia Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League 4-2 at home after 1-2 in the first leg and are in the semi-finals.
- BVB gives up a 2-0 lead, but still prevails.
- The match winner is Marcel Sabitzer with one goal and two assists.
- In the semi-finals, Dortmund will face Paris St-Germain, who managed to turn things around against Barcelona.
For the first time since 2013, Borussia Dortmund is in the semi-finals of the Champions League. After the 1-2 defeat in the first leg, BVB ended this dry spell thanks to a 4-2 home win in a spectacular game against Atletico Madrid. Now there is a duel with Paris St-Germain, who eliminated Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
On the way to the next round, the team experienced a rollercoaster of emotions with Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. In the 64th minute, Dortmund’s hopes of progressing seemed to be dwindling. Angel Correa scored a remarkable goal to make it 2-2, and the hosts’ 2-0 lead at the break was gone.
Dortmund’s double blow to happiness
But BVB didn’t give up. Driven by over 80,000 frenetic fans, the Dortmund team took back control of the game, which they had temporarily given up completely. Marcel Sabitzer was a defining figure:
- 71st minute: The Austrian is launched by Julian Brandt on the left. With his cross he finds the previously hapless Niclas Füllkrug in the center, who sinks the ball with his head thanks to perfect timing.
- 74th minute: This time Sabitzer does it himself. After a blocked shot, the ball goes to the midfielder, who hits it flat with his left foot from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner.
This time Dortmund didn’t give up their lead and were finally able to celebrate their progress.
Brandt and Maatsen ensure comfortable leadership
The yellow-blacks had already celebrated in the first half. Edin Terzic’s team set the tone from the start and repeatedly appeared dangerous in front of the Atletico goal. A smaller phase of pressure then led to the first goal. After a strong outside-foot pass from Mats Hummels, Brandt beat Madrid keeper Jan Oblak from a tight angle (34′).
Just five minutes after making it 1-0, Dortmund celebrated again. At the origin was the later match winner Sabitzer, who miserably missed the opening goal early in the game. He passed a strong pass to Ian Maatsen on the left edge of the penalty area, and the Dutchman finished with a well-placed shot into the far corner.
Atletico is back
However, BVB was unable to carry the momentum into the second half. Atletico meanwhile got off to an ideal start. In the 49th minute, Hummels directed the ball into his own goal after a header from Mario Hermoso. The home team suddenly seemed completely unsettled. The Madrilenians took advantage of this weak phase, equalized through Correa and seemed to be closer to progressing. Led by Sabitzer, Dortmund forced luck on their side.