da dobrowin： Atletico Madrid edged out Borussia Dortmund courtesy of Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino's first-half strikes.
da dobrowin： Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Advantage Atletico after first legDe Paul and Lino on target for hostsHaller pulled one back for DortmundGettyTELL ME MORE
Atletico Madrid headed into the clash with an incredible home record, having never lost a Champions League knockout clash under Diego Simeone's tutelage in front of their fans. Out of the 16 matches they had played, the Spanish side had won 10 and drew six times.
Simeone's side looked like a well-oiled machine right from the word go as they dominated proceedings for the majority of the clash. Their intense pressing in the Dortmund half helped them to take an early lead when Rodrigo De Paul capitalised on Gregor Kobel's blunder. The goalkeeper played a short pass to Ian Maatsen who flicked the ball in the path of the Argentine midfielder who then opened the scoring with a simple finish.
Another defensive blunder from the visitors saw Antoine Griezmann win the ball and quickly lob it towards Samuel Lino who doubled the hosts' lead in the 32nd minute.
After a dismal first-half showing, Dortmund looked much more determined in the second and finally picked up a consolation goal when Sebastien Haller found the back of the net from a deflected pass. They could have completed a remarkable comeback in the dying minutes of the match when Julian Brandt headed the ball towards the goal from Ryerson's cross but it rattled the crossbar and went out.
AdvertisementGOAL/GettyTHE MVP
The entire Atletico team functioned in an organised manner throughout the game to pick the narrow win over Dortmund but it was De Paul who set the tone of the match with the early strike.
THE BIG LOSER
Dortmund defenders have to take the blame for the away defeat as they looked shaky throughout the match and were at fault for both the Atletico strikes. Edin Terzic has work to do in organising his backline ahead of facing the Spanish side at home next week.
GettyWHAT COMES NEXT?
Simeone's side will next face Girona in La Liga on Saturday while Dortmund will take on Borussia Monchengladbach on the same day in Bundesliga.