In a pure European Cup match, with swings on the scoreboard that tilted the tie one way or another, Dortmund and its famous Yellow Wall ended up crushing Atlético. Simeone’s team had recovered from a poor and fearful first half in which he conceded two goals. He equalized them at the start of the second act and was taken ahead by his defensive fragility by his rival’s last furious attack. He conceded two goals in three minutes from which he could not recover.
4
Gregor Kobel, Julian Ryerson, Ian Maatsen, Hummels, Nico Schlotterbeck, Brandt (Marco Reus, min. 90), Jadon Sancho (Salih Ozcan, min. 86), Karim Adeyemi (Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, min. 66), M. Sabitzer, Emre Can and Füllkrug
2
Oblak, Giménez, Mario Hermoso, Witsel, Koke, De Paul (Saúl, min. 83), Marcos Llorente, Nahuel Molina (Pablo Barrios Rivas, min. 45), Azpilicueta (Rodrigo Riquelme, min. 45), Morata (Correa, min. 45) and Griezmann
Goals 1-0 min. 33: Brandt. 2-0 min. 39: Ian Maatsen. 2-1 min. 49: Hummels (pp). 2-2 min. 64: Strap. 3-2 min. 71: Füllkrug. 4-2 min. 73: M. Sabitzer.
Referee Slavko Vincic
Yellow cards Azpilicueta (min. 29), Julian Ryerson (min. 43) and Mario Hermoso (min. 46)
The match started as a classic of the competition. Azpilicueta anticipated Sabitzer when he was preparing to shoot Oblak and Morata wasted a one-on-one after a solo race to meet Kobel. Atlético seemed to die in that Morata gallop. It had the same effect on him and his teammates as if they had conceded a goal. Simeone’s players did not recover in the entire first half. What had started with a defense of the spaces in the middle block was receding as Dortmund found cracks through which to warn. Giménez, Azpilicueta and Witsel could barely sustain the patient local attacks. Always playing until you find the moment to accelerate. The harassment began by combing the Füllkrug tank so that Brandt, Sancho or Adeyemi would receive face to face. This has already begun to break down Atlético’s defensive order. Adeyemi took advantage of one of those Füllkrug extensions to test Oblak with a centered shot. Soon, the fast winger discovered that Nahuel Molina was in trouble with a committed transfer to his goalkeeper. Dortmund sniffed blood on Molina’s flank, in the space between the Argentine and Witsel. And there Hummels put the ball with the outside of his right boot from about five meters from the edge of the area. The position of the veteran center revealed where each team played. Dortmund is in Atlético’s field and is trapped in its area. Hummel’s fine pass was met by the talented Brandt at the top of the area. He got rid of Witsel and unleashed a violent cross left foot that Oblak did not contain. Bad signal. The Slovenian had to be a decisive card in defending the 2-1 lead in the first leg.
The goal was nitroglycerin for the enthusiastic Dortmund fans. The Westfalenstadion became a pressure cooker in which Atlético became smaller. He was reduced to nothing, knocked out, staggering, with the double weight of Morata’s chance and the goal received cramping him. Disoriented, at the mercy of the combinations in the vicinity of his area, he received another blow from the same low guard that Molina and Witsel formed. Between the two, the light Maatsen sneaked in from the side of the area to stand against Oblak and beat him with a low and crossed shot. There, academics advise lying diagonally to cover more space. Oblak only covered his stick. It didn’t seem like his night.
The two goals against led Simeone to have to make a triple bet. He brought on Correa and sat Morata down with the psychological blow that came with a nine that he had had in his boots to put his team ahead. The shipwrecked Molina also stayed in the dugout so that Barrios could occupy the center of the field and Llorente could take the Argentine’s lane. The third change was Riquelme for Azpilicueta to give depth to the left flank. Atlético was another. With a few touches in the Dortmund area he scratched a corner kick. Griezmann threw it past the far post and Hermoso touched it with a weak header that slipped in after touching Hummels. Again, the tie at par. And Atlético did not speculate. Correa went head-to-head with Kobel. And the Argentinian hit a high volley that tied the game and put Atlético’s qualification clear.
The Westfalenstadion was invaded for the first time by a dead silence. He resurrected soon. Following a delicate thread from Sabitzer, Füllkrug rose majestically, running to the near post and with a prodigious turn of the neck, he directed a cross header to the far post from Oblak. A goal that once again set the volcanic Yellow Wall and the rest of the stands on fire. Atlético didn’t even have time to settle and digest the goal. Sabitzer, the best along with Brandt, ended up burying Atlético in the rubble of an infernal wall that fell on him and he never recovered.
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