Sebastien Haller’s reduction gave Borussia Dortmund hope as Atlético Madrid won 2-1 – Dagsavisen

Two substitutes collaborated on the reduction goal in the 81st minute. Julian Brandt hit a nice stick against Haller. The Ivorian was not fooled by the fact that the ball was slowed by the hand of Nahuel Molina. He did a pirouette and knocked the ball into the corner. Thus, the excitement is fully alive before the return match in Germany.

The visitors had most of the ball in the first quarter-final of the Champions League at the Estádio Metropolitano, but did not handle the home team’s extremely high and aggressive pressure and conceded two goals after defensive howlers.

Even before four minutes had been played, the visitors fell behind, after they gave away the ball just outside their own 16-metre area with some terrible choices.

Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel had the ball and was pressured by Álvaro Morata. Instead of clearing, he played short to Ian Maatsen who was hard pressed. The left-back played blindly with the outside across the field, and the ball went straight to Rodrigo de Paul, one of five Atlético players who pressed in the final third. He almost had an open goal and made no mistakes.

The lead was doubled in the 32nd minute after more defensive mess. Nico Schlotterbeck was about to nod away from a throw-in in the lengthwise direction of the pitch, but fellow stopper Mats Hummels had moved in behind him and called for the ball. Hummels put both himself and his partner out of the game with a weak clearance straight to Morata, who played directly to Antoine Griezmann. He pushed the ball to the left to Samuel Lino, who scored easily.

It should have been 3-0 in the quarter before the end, when Griezmann found Lino at the far post with a fantastic free kick. Kobel’s parade from close range proved extra important when Haller reduced a few minutes later.

Tremendous

Atlético started the match terrifically and had created a big chance even before the lead goal. The match was barely underway when Griezmann played Morata through, but Maatsen blocked the shot at the last moment.

Immediately after the 1-0 goal, Kobel showed class when he saved a cheeky heel kick from former Dortmund player Axel Witsel, but the Belgian was in an offside position.

Lino also showed off with a spectacular brass kick, but Kobel saved again.

In the first half hour or so, Borussia Dortmund did not handle the home team’s high pressure and constantly lost the ball in dangerous situations. Towards the end of the first half, the team finally started to make plays that gave finishing opportunities, but Jan Oblak in the Atlético goal was not put to any great tests.

Hand melee

Ryerson and his teammates fought hard to get back into the game, but the home team was largely in control.

After just under an hour, there was a spark on the sideline after Atlético Madrid played on when Emre Can was down in pain after a duel. There was almost a scuffle between Atlético coach Diego Simeone and Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

The statistics showed that Borussia Dortmund had the ball about twice as much as Atlético Madrid, but the home team were more toxic and deservedly won. Dortmund’s fierce fighting could still be more than diminished as the hosts grew tired, and in the final minutes, substitute Jamie Bynoe-Gittens sent a powerful left-footed shot that hit the crossbar.

In the return match next week, the Spanish club will have to manage without Lino, who was one of the big foreground figures on Wednesday. The Brazilian received a yellow card when he fouled Schlotterbeck in the first half.

(©NTB)