Atlético leaves its work half done against Dortmund

The colchoneros penalized two rival mistakes, but made another one in the final stretch (2-1) and will resolve their future in Germany

   MADRID, 10 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Atlético de Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 this Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, played at the Cívitas Metropolitano, with goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino that penalized the German team's mistakes. that in the final moments he closed the gap and survived for the return at Signal Iduna Park.

With the song 'Money For Nothing' the home team warmed up half an hour before the start. And the impetus of Dire Straits' chords encouraged Atlético to scare in the 2nd minute. After a robbery by Rodrigo De Paul on the balcony of their own area, Marcos Llorente launched the counterattack.

Samu Lino touched the ball just enough to save a rival's tackle and assist Antoine Griezmann, who opened the right side for the run of Álvaro Morata, whose shot as soon as he stepped into the area was cleared for a corner kick. It was the prelude to the 1-0, the work of De Paul after an error by the 'Borusser' defense.

With the red and whites' high pressure, Morata pressed goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and he passed softly to Ian Maatsen, who did not control well; Atlético's '5', in the 5th minute, found himself alone in front of Kobel and with the ball bouncing, which he converted into a goal with a subtle touch with his right hand.

Spurred by this favorable scenario and so early, Diego Pablo Simeone's pupils approached the Dortmund goalkeeper again, who in the 7th minute deflected a shot from Axel Witsel with a great dive, spurring in a second play following a corner taken by Griezmann.

The 'Little Prince' and Lino, with their bite, made Atlético's attack turn to the left side. The former Valencia player had another good chance in the 13th minute, with a bicycle kick that Kobel caught without problems. Meanwhile, the visiting team could not find a way to respond.

His coach, Edin Terzic, sent the wingers Karim Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho as wide as they could, but Marcel Sabitzer did not take advantage of the space behind the striker Niclas Füllkrug because the line of three Colchoneros centre-backs, this time, was quite attentive to each cut.

The ownership of César Azpilicueta, perhaps surprising, sought to ensure that drying out Sancho was also the way to deactivate the danger of the German team. And it worked for almost half an hour, as Dortmund's most successful man up to that point was another veteran, center back Mats Hummels.

From the 30th minute Sancho woke up, peeking into Jan Oblak's area from the right corner until he confronted two defenders and forced a corner that Felix Nmecha then headed dangerously over the crossbar. Despite the visitor's warning, it was 2-0 in the 32nd minute after another serious error.

On the right wing, Nahuel Molina took a long shot looking for Griezmann behind Nico Schlotterbeck, who did not agree with Hummels for the clearance. The ball was at the feet of 'Grizi', who hit it with class to avoid Julian Ryerson and assist Lino, who savored the gift.

With temperance, the Brazilian winger controlled with his right foot at mid-height and shot with the same foot as soon as he lowered the ball, saving the exit of a Kobel who could do little else. The lack of concentration at Dortmund was punishing him and, just as he was serving from the center, he could have gotten worse.

Griezmann stole the ball and quickly mounted a counterattack that did not work because his low pass to Morata was miraculously cut off by Schlotterbeck. Those from the Ruhr basin, due to their craft more than their talent, responded quickly thanks to a left-footed shot from Adeyemi from the edge of the area.

Another low left foot shot, this time from Maatsen from outside the area, brought more danger to Oblak in the 42nd minute, although the Slovenian goalkeeper deflected the ball in time. He was not needed in the last scare of the first half, involving Sancho with a right hand on the counterattack and which the Englishman sent up for not having gone to the penalty spot.

Terzic made a move at half-time and retired Nmecha to bring in Julian Brandt, who in the first seconds of the restart sneaked down the left wing to the baseline after connecting with Sancho. Another opportunity arose from their association in the 48th minute, in a pass from the Englishman to Sabitzer and which he transformed into a soft shot from the top of the area.

Even Füllkrug benefited from the new air in the 'borusser' attack, as demonstrated by his left-footed shot, from a distance and at ground level, which was saved by Oblak. The reply was from Molina in the 53rd minute, according to a cut with his right hand to end up shooting with his left foot; Kobel, in his place, repelled the ball.

Kobel also fearlessly grabbed a header from Morata, in a free kick taken by Griezmann from afar on the side of the field. The match became more lively, Dortmund aware that the tie would improve in their interests by scoring a goal. And they marauded him in the 55th minute, through Brandt.

Terzic's first replacement was fueled, in such a way that his shot from the balcony of the area alarmed the Metropolitan for an instant. He had tamed that Füllkrug ball, with his back to the goal and with Azpilicueta on his neck; The starting forward gave way back and Brandt shot without luck.

Terzic made another change, Sébastien Haller for a gray Füllkrug, and 'Cholo' Simeone responded by removing an attacker and relying on a midfielder; Pablo Barrios replaced Morata, equally discreet. It was not the night for natural forwards, as Brandt made clear in the 73rd minute with a direct free kick from about 20 or 22 meters, which went high.

Atlético could also score from a set piece, but Kobel stopped a point-blank shot from Lino, who had surprised the rival defense with his arrival at the far post. Nor did Lino score a header in the 80th minute, after a cross from Llorente on the same baseline, and Atlético blamed him.

Thanks to a stumbling Dortmund attack, Brandt controlled the ball on the edge of the area and crossed with his left foot to Haller; Molina tried to clear, but in reality he placed the ball so that Haller himself scored with a low shot that beat Oblak and entered next to the post.

Suddenly, the party experienced ups and downs. On the next play, Ángel Correa stepped into the Borusser area, but the Argentine was cold from having jumped onto the grass a short time before and did not shoot before a center back appeared. On the German side, Bynoe-Gittens hit a strong, distant left foot shot that grazed an opposing player and touched the crossbar above.

By the 90th minute, Simeone made a triple substitution, including Rodrigo Riquelme, who put Kobel in trouble in stoppage time with a low shot after a ride. However, the last scare was a header from Brandt that crashed into the crossbar of Oblak's goal. On April 16 there will be a sentence in the Ruhr coal region.

--RESULT: ATLÉTICO DE MADRID, 2 - BORUSSIA DORTMUND, 1 (2-0, at rest).

ATLÉTICO DE MADRID: Oblak; Molina (Saúl, min.90), Giménez, Witsel (Savic, min.90 1), Azpilicueta, Lino (Riquelme, min.90 1); Llorente, De Paul (Correa, min.80), Koke; Griezmann and Morata (Barrios, min.63).

BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Can (Özcan, min.84), Sabitzer (Reus, min.84); Adeyemi (Bynoe-Gittens, min.73), Nmecha (Brandt, min.46), Sancho; y Füllkrug (Haller, min. 60).

1-0, min. 5: By Paul.

   2-0, min.32: Lino.

2-1, min.81: Haller.

--REFEREE: Marco Guida (ITA). He yellow carded Lino (min.27) and Llorente (min.28) for Atlético de Madrid, and Can (min.24) for Borussia Dortmund.

--STADIUM: Cívitas Metropolitano, 68,641 spectators.