Atletico Madrid secured a hard-fought victory over Borussia Dortmund with a 2-1 win in the Champions League group stage match. The Spanish side showed their resilience and determination as they came from behind to claim all three points.
Dortmund took an early lead through a goal from Erling Haaland, but Atletico responded quickly with Joao Felix equalizing before half-time. The second half saw both teams pushing for the win, but it was Atletico who found the breakthrough with a goal from Thomas Lemar.
Atletico took a first-half lead with goals by Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino and outplayed Dortmund during most of the match, but the German team stayed alive thanks to a late goal by substitute Sébastien Haller.
Dortmund threatened in the end and twice hit the woodwork in the final minutes.
The second leg will be played next Tuesday in Germany.
The goal after just four minutes was a gift, but also a reward for Atletico’s high-tempo start. De Paul was one of four players high up the pitch pressing when Dortmund had possession in their own penalty area.
At 1-0 behind, Dortmund were always going to have more of the ball. But there was no sign of Simeone’s side sitting back or digging in to defend their lead. They don’t have the players to do that now, even if they wanted to. The starting back three on Wednesday night was converted ex-Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel, former Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, and the team’s only real ‘warrior’ defender in long-serving Jose Maria Gimenez.
Tonight’s 2-1 victory means they have kept up their record of never losing a home knockout tie in the Champions League under Diego Simeone, with this their 17th such match (W11 D6). But Sébastien Haller’s late consolation means BVB head back to Dortmund with only a one-goal deficit.
The Ivorian striker’s goal was his 12th in just 13 UEFA Champions league appearances, but his first in the competition since February 2022 – much of that down to a long spell on the sidelines following his testicular cancer diagnosis only months after that strike against Benfica.
The result kept Atletico unbeaten in 18 knockout-round games at home in the Champions League — with its last defeat coming against Ajax in the quarterfinals in 1997.
Dortmund has won only one of its last 11 away matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Mats Hummels made his 500th appearance for Dortmund.
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