The masterful Jonathan Liew’s match report is in, and that’s my cue to say goodbye. What a night!
How good was Ian Maatsen tonight by the way? Just terrific down that left-hand side, where Dortmund dominated Atlético in the first half. And, just watching the replays again, how brilliant was that glancing header from Füllkrug? Just a wonderful night for Dortmund, the hipster’s choice for the rest of the competition.
The scenes at the whistle. A big Tuesday night is on in Westphalia.
Borussia Dortmund are Champions League semi-final bound for the first time in eleven years 🏆💪
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐂.#UCL pic.twitter.com/cVTsDJPDof
Who will Dortmund face in the semis, you ask? Kylian Mbappé and co.
Amid the carnage, I didn’t properly dissect Sabitzer’s goal for all you readers. Brandt brought down a lofted ball inside the box, Füllkrug raced on to it but had his shot blocked. Sabitzer picked up the remains, set himself on his left foot, and nailed his placement from just inside the box. The former Leipzig man was terrific all night.
What a cracking tie. I’d call it a classic but the Champions League seems to be delivering drama on repeat at the moment. The Dortmund players are bouncing in front of the yellow wall, having reached the last four for the first time since 2013 when they made it to the final at Wembley …
Updated
FULL-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atlético Madrid (5-4 on aggregate)
Maatsen thunders down the left before Atlético punt it long, for one last go … the cross is excellent from Griezmann but Maatsen heads away at the far post, having raced back to do his defensive work. The whistle blows and Dortmund are through to the semi-finals!
Updated
90+3 min: Can is on the floor by the halfway line, winning a free-kick much to the consternation of Atlético.
90+2 min: Reus holds it up by the corner flag but eventually gives away the goalkick for Atlético.
90+1 min: Four minutes for Dortmund to hold on.
Updated
90 min: Have loved watching Füllkrug tonight. Old-school centre forward who holds it up well, lays it off for the runners and looks a menace in the air. Reus replaces Brandt.
89 min: Dortmund break but Sabitzer decides to hold up the ball rather than drive down the left channel.
88 min: Atlético survive the corner and win a free-kick close to the halfway line.
87 min: Sabitzer, playing the game of his life, decides to slap his left foot through a bouncing ball from outside the box; it’s deflected and then pushed away by Oblak for a corner.
86 min: Sancho departs; Özcan come on for Dortmund.
84 min: The delivery is poor, headed away before it can reach the danger zone inside the box.
83 min: Atlético have a free-kick from the right after De Paul is tripped. Time for Griezmann to deliver. Saúl is on for Atlético.
81 min: Huge save from Oblak! Schlotterbeck plays a delicious long ball for Füllkrug to hop on to inside the box and his powerful shot is kept out by the Atlético keeper.
80 min: Bynoe-Gittens thunders down the left to put pressure on Llorente, winning Dortmund a throw-in.
78 min: Sorry, just trying to get my breath back. Dortmund are knocking it about with confidence now, Brandt in particular looking like the best in the playground.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atlético Madrid (Sabitzer 74); agg 5-4
Oh my days! Sabitzer rifles a low shot inside the box with his left foot past Oblak and Dortmund have, for the second time in the tie, flipped this around.
Updated
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Atlético Madrid (Füllkrug 71); agg 4-4
This is carnage! Brandt slides in a ball for Sabitzer to chase on to in the left channel; the cross onto the box is excellent from the midfielder and Füllkrug times a perfect run and glancing header. It’s directed past Oblak and my ticker is struggling to deal with it all.
Updated
70 min: Atlético deal with multiple corners well.
69 min: Riquelme handles the ball and Dortmund have a free-kick from the right. Brandt delivers … and goes straight towards goal but Oblak saves. Bynoe-Gittens wins a corner after his shot is deflected.
67 min: Adeyimi is off for Bynoe-Gittens, who is into the action with a header over the bar.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Atlético Madrid (Correa 64); agg 3-4
Chaos! Correa laces a ball across goal after some neat stepovers inside the box; Riquelme is on the end of it, his shot saved by Kobel. The ball loops into the air, Correa swings at it, it’s blocked, and then he’s quickest on to it again, this time finding the net. Correa is Simeone’s half-time gamechanger.
Updated
64 min: Sancho is brushed aside by Llorente, who then finds himself forward and launching an overhit cross.
60 min: De Paul is bundled to the floor inside his half after a stream of yellow shirts engulf him. Dortmund are trying to get the blood pumping once again, having been dealt that blow earlier in the half.
57 min: Koke slides in a terrific pass through the middle to Correa who finds himself one-on-one; he opens up his body for a right-footed shot, and squeezes it wide. Simeone falls to the floor. A huge chance for the substitute, who is causing Dortmund some bother.
56 min: Oblak sprints out of his box to deal with a tricky long ball that reaches him on the edge of the box; he avoids a handball and defuses a potentially tricky situation.
55 min: Dortmund break and work it down the right before Brandt cuts in to launch a shot, which is blocked.
53 min: Griezmann drops deep and plays a cutting pass through the lines as Atlético bring the danger. De Paul finishes the move with a cross/accidental shot that flies over the bar.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Atlético Madrid (Hummels OG 49); agg 3-3
Oh my. Hermoso has a free header at the far post from a corner; Hummels pokes out his left leg and the ball trickles into the net past the wrong-footed Kobel. We’re all level once again.
Updated
48 min: Slick from Atlético as Correa is immediately into action, nearly getting a shot on goal but with a fine block from Schlotterbeck diverting it out for a corner.
46 min: Morata is off for Correa, Barrios is on for Molina, Riquelme replaces Azpilicueta. Simeone was clearly not a happy bunny during the interval.
Peep again!
And we’re back.
HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atlético Madrid (3-2 on aggregate)
This tie has completely flipped. It’s Dortmund who are on their way to the semis at the moment, well and truly bouncing in front of their home fans. The visitors need a Red Bull or two, and a talking-to from Diego.
45+2 min: Brandt whips the ball into the box … and Oblak doesn’t come for it … but it’s just about hauled away by the men in blue.
45+1 min: Now a yellow for Hermoso, with Adeyemi going down, a touch dramatically, on the right. Dortmund have a tasty looking free-kick.
45 min: Sancho’s stepovers out on the left are dealt with by Atlético. Two minutes are added on.
44 min: Griezmann delivers an uncharacteristically poor free-kick that evades everyone in the box and goes out for a goal kick.
Updated
43 min: Atlético try and copy Dortmund, with Azpilicueta driving down the left and going down from a Ryerson challenge. The Dortmund right back goes in the book.
42 min: What a turnaround from Dortmund, whose gameplan is simple at the moment: pepper that left channel.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atlético Madrid (Maatsen 39); agg 3-2
It’s made on the left once again! There’s a neat bit of play out on that side that culminates with a neat reverse ball from Sabitzer which the driving Maatsen picks up. He launches himself into the box and files a low shot past Oblak. Simeone needs to sort his side out.
Updated
38 min: Dortmund have focused their attacks down that left-hand side all game and that’s where they formed that goal. The hosts are ascendant and Atlético look rather off it, struggling to get on the ball and make anything of it when they do have it.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Atlético Madrid (Brandt 34); agg 2-2
This tie is properly alive! Hummels dinks a wonderful ball into the box for Brandt to bring down on the left-hand side. He shifts the ball on to his left foot for a shot, from a tight angle, and powers it home past the despairing dive of Witsel and the efforts of Oblak.
Updated
31 min: Azpilicueta intercepts an attempted switch out to Ryerson. Hummels gets away with a pass at the back that’s hit straight at Griezmann.
Updated
30 min: Azpilicueta goes properly in on Adeyemi, and the Atlético defender gets a yellow for his efforts.
29 min: Sancho and Adeyemi have swapped flanks for Dortmund by the way.
Updated
27 min: Dortmund dominate the possession statistics at the moment and they nearly make something of it when Can slides a ball down the left for Sancho to run on to. He can’t play a killer ball into the middle or launch a shot, with the play ending after Sabitzer hits one over the bar.
26 min: Molina launches a decent cross from the right but it’s cleared and Füllkrug wins a free-kick in his own half as Dortmund counter.
24 min: De Paul looks as if he’s in danger of losing the ball in the centre circle before some nifty footwork gets him away. He proceeds to dink a ball over the top but the man running on to it is offside.
22 min: Hummels’ long punt down the ground can only find Oblak. The game’s struggled to find the energy it had in those first five minutes, when both sides looked a bit loose at the back.
20 min: Oblak just about deals with an awkward backpass from Molina after Dortmund press forward once again, with Brandt’s attempted through ball a touch light.
18 min: Ryerson dances down the right before his deflected cross eventually finds Adeyemi … whose shot flies into the safe hands of Oblak. Füllkrug is down in a bit of bother but it doesn’t look serious.
16 min: Dortmund’s corners don’t cause any serious damage, but they’re boxing in Atlético at the moment.
15 min: Adeyemi plays the ball to Brandt, inside the box, on the left, who pulls it back into the middle … but it’s cleared out for a corner.
13 min: Sancho gets on the end of a long ball from Hummels and dinks the ball into the middle … but the on-loan winger is offside.
12 min: Hummels clears a ball in from the right by Atlético, where the visitors were doing a good job of hassling Dortmund.
10 min: Adeyemi is penalised for a handball. He, by the way, was the man who did the hard work to set up Sabitzer a few minutes ago, driving down the left and sliding in the low ball for the central midfielder.
9 min: Atlético begin to look more comfortable with the ball, knocking it about for a sustained period.
7 min: Atlético have a corner and they go short before Griezmann dinks a ball into the mixer. Dortmund hold steady.
5 min: And now Morata finds himself with acres of space going forward and just the keeper to beat … and he dinks it wide! He also had to score. A mad start to this game.
Updated
3 min: Morata loses the ball and Dortmund press forward, with a ball from the left finding Sabitzer inside the box and just the keeper to beat … until Azpilicueta launches a goal-saving block. Sabitzer took an unnecessary first touch which cost him. He had to score!
Updated
2 min: Hummels intercepts at the back and tries to bypass the midfield with a through ball, but it’s cut out.
1 min: Dortmund see more of the ball in the opening exchanges, passing it around the back.
Peep!
Dortmund are in their standard yellow and black gear; Atlético rock a trendy blue number. The hosts kick off. Let’s play!
Just a couple of minutes away now, with the players out of the tunnel. Sort your snacks.
Mats Hummels gets a prezzie or two. The 2014 World Cup winner made his 500th appearance for Dortmund in the first leg last week, somehow squeezing a three-year spell at Bayern Munich in the middle of his career. A fine achievement.
Enough to make a grown man cry 🥹 pic.twitter.com/6F4M80r0zL
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 16, 2024
Those huge yellow flags are out in force, forming that imposing wall of fans at the Westfalenstadion. Dortmund weren’t all that great in that first leg but, now, in front of their fans, they’re well in this tie. Simeone, of course, is here to try and spoil the party.
Here’s the full picture then. Lino, the match-winner last week, is suspended for Atlético, so in comes Hermoso as the only change from the side that played the first leg. Dortmund also make one change, with Brandt in for Nmecha.
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck,
Maatsen, Sabitzer, Can, Sancho, Brandt, Adeyemi, Füllkrug
Subs: Özcan, Nmecha, Reus, Duranville, Wolf, Moukoko, Süle, Meyer, Lotka, Wätjen, Bynoe-Gittens
Atlético Madrid: Oblak, Witsel, Giménez, Hermoso, Molina,
Llorente, Koke, De Paul, Azpilicueta, Morata, Griezmann
Subs: Moldovan, Gabriel, Saúl, Correa, Savić, Riquelme, Vermeeren,
Reinildo, Barrios, Gomis, Niño
The teams
Here they come …
🚨 STARTING XI VS ATLÉTICO DE MADRID🚨 pic.twitter.com/CT3wszqbaE
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) April 16, 2024
🚨 TEAM NEWS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/dUD4JgbKD1
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) April 16, 2024
If you’re in the mood for double-screening tonight, there’s this one to keep tabs on, too.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to coverage of Atlético Madrid’s trip to Westphalia. The visitors are chasing their first Champions League semi-final since 2017, when their deeply annoying and more successful step-siblings, Real, triumphed 4-2 on aggregate. Since then there have been two quarter-final exits for Diego Simeone’s side, unable to regain the lofty heights of two runners-up finishes from 2014 to 2016 (ugh, Real, just let them have one).
Atlético enter with a 2-1 advantage, but Borussia Dortmund remain hopeful after a late strike from Sébastien Haller in Madrid. The bad news for tonight’s hosts? They can’t call upon Haller for another vital goal, with the forward ruled out due to an ankle injury.
The reality for both sides is that they’re the underdogs in the last eight, both trying to make up for a lack of domestic happiness this year with a European journey that could still make its way to London this June. I’ll be here to see who’s left smiling at the end of the night. Kick-off’s at 8pm BST.
