Poor at the back but dangerous up top, Borussia Dortmund somehow escaped the Wanda Metropolitano pressure cooker with plenty of hope. The Westphalians’ uneven performance in the Spanish capital was, on the one hand, squarely in keeping with the maddening inconsistency they have shown under coach Edin Terzic for two seasons now, yet also a new departure for the current campaign.
Up until the 2-1 away defeat against Atletico Madrid, they had shown their strongest defensive suit in the Champions League, winning the “Group of Death” ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle, while saving plenty of sloppy moments for the league. But on Wednesday night, those two Dortmunds blurred into one amid the noise of Atleti crowd. They were awful and useful, in about equal measure.
“We played straight into their hands,” midfielder Marcel Sabitzer explained about a horrific first half that left the visitors dangling over the abyss. Almost from the get-go, Dortmund gave the ball away by playing into congested central areas, inviting Atletico to score “basically two own goals,” as the Austrian put it.
First, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and left-back Ian Maatsen naively fell victim to Diego Simeone’s pressing trap to allow Rodrigo De Paul a tap in, then centre-backs Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels turned into classic comic duo Laurel and Hardy to get BVB into another fine mess. Samuel Lino had no problem slotting in Atleti’s second.
“We weren’t good enough in the first 30 minutes,” said Terzic. “Usually, you don’t advance into the next round playing this way.”
Emre Can’s blamed Dortmund’s inexperience for the meltdown. “It was difficult here, many were experiencing their first-ever Champions League quarter-final today,” the former Liverpool midfielder said, “they devoured us in the beginning.”
Of the starting XI, only he, Sabitzer (at Bayern Munich) and veteran Hummels, 35, in his 500th game of the cub, had ever played a match at this level of the competition. It showed. Dortmund looked overtaxed understudies on the Wanda stage, fluffing lines and missing cues at any opportunity to the delight of the baying crowd.
Fortunately for them, Atletico’s old instincts kicked-in to save them from further humiliation. The hosts stopped harassing Dortmund high up the pitch towards the end of the first half and settled into a more reactive mode. That partial retreat helped to calm German nerves. Driven on by fearless winger Karim Adeyemi, BVB began to make inroads into opposition territory and emerged a different team after the break. “We had more control, more structure in the second half,” Sabitzer said.
Simeone squares up to Kehl (Photo: Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Dortmund quite literally stood up to Atletico’s intimidation as well. On the touchline, sporting director Sebastian Kehl was unmoved when Simeone came up close and personal during a minor altercation, showing that BVB were no longer prepared to be bullied.
Terzic’s excellent substitutions played a key role, too. Julian Brandt, on for the ineffective Felix Nmecha, brought technical quality and movement to Dortmund’s midfield.
Sebastian Haller, arriving in the 60th minute, led the line twice as well as clunky centre-forward Niclas Fullkrug had managed, in half the space of time, and scored with a great, improvised snap shot to redouble BVB’s courage.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Adeyemi’s replacement, stretched tired Atleti legs to hit the bar with a deflected effort and Brandt, too, saw his excellent header connect with the home side’s goal frame right at the death. Atleti just about survived the Black and Yellow onslaught to come away with a narrow and slightly flattering win. “If we play as we did in the second half, it can definitely work out for us,” said Can. “It won’t be easy but we still believe.”
With the help of a rocking Signal Iduna Park next Tuesday, Dortmund should indeed be able to cause more problems. This Atletico side are far more adventurous than previous iterations but also far more vulnerable at the back. But most importantly, BVB need to cut out their own amateurish mistakes, which might prove a little harder.
When the only player with serious Champions League pedigree of the back five — defenders and keeper — is 35, vulnerability is somewhat baked in. The whole team will have to work incredibly hard to protect their fragile defence once more under the floodlights. But even if they can repeat their group stage heroics in the second leg against Atletico, the main conclusions will remain the same. For Dortmund to overcome the chronic ambiguity of their performances, they need a more refined playing style as well as a top reinforcements in defence next season.
(Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
