Atlético was able to seal the tie but had to settle for a 2-1 against Borussia Dortmund, whom they beat in the Metropolitano with a storming start that sent the German team to the canvas, which only managed to get into the game already in the end of the first half, when they were two goals behind on the scoreboard.
It was a much more consistent Atlético than other afternoons, with this season’s gala team. It couldn’t have started better, helped after four minutes by a serious mistake by Dortmund. Goalkeeper Kobel gave a bad pass to Maatsen, Rodrigo de Paul stole the ball from the defender and beat the goalkeeper with a cross shot.
Atlético was able to score the second right away with a backheel from Witsel, an exquisiteness that the Belgian does not lavish on. In the first fifteen minutes there were already five mattress shots. The goal was intuited and although it could have come much earlier, especially through Morata, it fell in the 32nd minute in a shot by Samuel Lino enabled by Griezmann after a good collective play.
Dortmund saw the wolf’s ears and had four players warm up. The measure woke up the players on the field, who in the last ten minutes began to get dangerous. Adeyemi warned for the first time in the 36th minute and in the 43rd minute Oblak had to put in a good hand to prevent the German goal from a very powerful shot by Maatsen. Jadon Sancho still had another one in added time in the first half.
The second half began without changes for Atlético and with Brandt on the field for the Germans. The player was going to be the best of his team. Dortmund had more of the ball but Atlético seemed comfortable retreating and looking for the counterattack, with Griezmann moving well between the lines.
In ’64 Simeone made the first change. He removed Morata for Pablo Barrios. With the Madrid native limping and with Memphis Depay injured, Atlético could not risk losing its only nine for the return leg. Brandt had the goal in a foul that barely made it 2-1, but Kobel denied Lino the 3-0, which would have probably been the sentence for the tie.
The last minutes were clearly Borussia’s, with Atlético very tired and asking for time. Haller stopped the mattress party in the 82nd minute. He scored 2-1 and it could have been much worse for Atlético because Bynoe-Gittens sent a ball to the crossbar in the 86th minute and another hit Brandt’s crossbar in the 94th minute.
Dortmund were eliminated in the first half, but were close to a draw. The tie is still very open.
