Atlético Madrid secure slender first-leg advantage over Dortmund
Die Schwarzgelben found themselves under the pump from get-go tonight at an atmospheric Wanda Metropolitano. Edin Terzić’s side struggled to get to grips with the host's intensive pressing and physical presence across the park. It took all of 4 minutes to force the BVB rearguard into a calamitous error. Maatsen, pressed directly from Kobel's short kickout, coughed possession up to Rodrigo De Paul who guided to the net.
Aside from Felix Nmecha's header, Dortmund lived off scraps. Atléti swiftly doubled up in the 32nd minute - Hummels and Schlotterbeck left Samuel Lino in acres of space at the back post. The outcome being another cheap goal coughed up. Adeyemi and Sancho showed sparks of life prior to the interval, but Jan Oblak more than fulfilled his role.
The introduction of Julian Brandt for Felix Nmecha jolted some energy into BVB after the break. Slotting into the No.10 role, the aforementioned Brandt had the pick of the early efforts on goal charged down. Meanwhile, tempers frayed on the touchline as Sebastian Kehl and Diego Simione took the heat of battle into their technical area clash.
In the final quarter of an hour, Kobel produced a sublime save to deny Samuel Lino his brace. A save could prove crucial in the tie yet - with the subsequent attack BVB halved the defecit at 2-1. Brandt squeezed his pass through to Haller via a touch off the recovering Nahuel Molina. The Ivorian striker swivelled and thumped past Oblak with vigour. In a game of two halves, the crossbar was all that stood between late Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Brandt strikes. Parity denied by the width of the aluminium on both occasions, but the second-leg all to play for.