PLAYER RATINGS | Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atletico Madrid: Julian Brandt masterclass puts BVB in Champions League semi-final
A Julian Brandt masterclass helped Borussia Dortmund secure their place in the Champions League semi-finals after overturning Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 lead heading into the game at the Westfalenstadion.
In what was an eventful opening five minutes, both teams could have found the back of the net but after overcoming early pressure from Atletico, Dortmund controlled the first half. Brandt opened the scoring after 34 minutes with Ian Maatsen doubling his side’s lead just five minutes later. That put a relentless Dortmund in the lead on aggregate, but things were about to change.
Diego Simeone made a triple substitution at the break with Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo Riquelme and Angel Correa coming on. Just four minutes after the break, Mats Hummels deflected a shot past Gregor Kobel, before Correa levelled the tie on the night, which would have put Atletico through. But against a usually resilient Atletico side, Dortmund persisted and they were rewarded.
Niclas Füllkrug ended his goal drought, scoring his first goal for Borussia Dortmund since February 17th. The German forward showcased excellent movement before seeing his glancing header go in off the post. Just two minutes and twenty seconds later, Marcel Sabitzer then put Die Schwarzgelben in a 4-2 lead on the night, with the Bundesliga side winning 5-4 on aggregate. The Austrian has been magnificent since his return.
Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings
Gregor Kobel (6) – Julian Ryerson (6), Mats Hummels (7), Nico Schlotterbeck (7), Ian Maatsen (7) – Emre Can (7), Marcel Sabitzer (8) – Jadon Sancho (6), Julian Brandt (9), Karim Adeyemi (6) – Niclas Füllkrug (7)
Others: Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (6), Salih Ozcan (-), Marco Reus (-)
