- Borussia Dortmund have progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after beating Atletico Madrid 5-4 on aggregate
- This is the fourth time that the German side have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and the first time since the 2012-13 season
Borussia Dortmund have progressed to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after edging out Atletico Madrid during the Borussia vs Atletico clash.
Dortmund, who lost 2-1 in the first leg of their tie played last week, beat Diego Simeone’s side 4-2 at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday evening. Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen started the turn around by scoring two quick goals for the hosts in the first half.
Borussia vs Atletico. Photo/ TNT Sports.
A Mats Hummels own goal shortly after the restart brought Atletico back into this tie before Angel Correa’s strike shortly after the hour mark gave them a 4-3 lead on aggregate. But Dortmund levelled once again through Niclas Fullkrug in the 71st minute before former Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer got the job done with a brilliant strike three minutes later.
“We played an incredibly good first half, then there was the extremely unfortunate goal conceded, (but) how we came back, wow.” Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic said in a TV interview after the Borussia vs Atletico clash, as per Reuters.
This is the fourth time that the German side have reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the first time since the 2012-13 season. Next up for Dortmund in the Champions League is Paris Saint-German who secured a comeback win on Tuesday night, beating Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate.
Despite Atletico being knocked out of the Champions League, they secured a spot in next year’s inaugural 32-team Club World Cup to be played in the United States. Barca’s exit from the Champions League made it possible for Simeone’s side to be one of the twelve European teams that will be playing in the lucrative tournament.
How Things Unfolded During The Borussia Vs Atletico Clash
Edin Terzic made one change from his team that faced Atletico in the first leg as Felix Nmecha made way for Julian Brandt. Ivory Coast international Sebastian Haller, who scored the only goal for the German side in Madrid, was not included in the matchday squad due to injury.
Diego Simeone also made just one change from his team as Mario Hermoso took Samuel Lino’s place. Memphis Depay missed the second leg because of injury.
The Borussia vs Atletico clash started on a high note with both sides coming close to taking the lead inside five minutes. First, Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak was forced to commit himself to try and stop Ian Maatsen’s square ball from reaching Sabitzer, leaving the goal empty but former Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta was just at the right place to stop would have been a simple tap-in.
Atletico Madrid had their own chance one minute later as Antoine Griezmann’s header found Alvaro Morata who would have easily beaten Dortmund’s keeper but saw his chipped effort go wide.
Dortmund dominated the proceedings afterwards but rarely tested Oblak. Eventually the first goal of the Borussia vs Atletico match arrived in the 34th minute when Julian Brandt unleashed a powerful shot from a tight angle that went past Oblak. Five minutes later, the home team doubled their lead through Maatsen to go in front in this tie.
Marcel Sabitzer scored the winning goal against Atletico Madrid. Photo/ Sky Sports.
Diego Simeone made three changes at half time which brought the desired result immediately as Atletico pulled one goal back in the 49th minute, thanks to Mats Hummels turning the ball into his own net. The Spanish side levelled the scores in the 64th minute through Angel Correa who pounced on a rebound.
Just when it seemed Atletico Madrid were going to walk away with an aggregate victory at Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund scored two quick goals in the 71st and 74th minutes to turn things around. Sabitzer set up Fullkrug for the first goal before the 30-year-old himself struck a spectacular winner from the edge of the box.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login