Dortmund 4-2 Atlético de Madrid (agg: 5-4): Hosts edge six-goal thriller to reach last four

Borussia Dortmund finally clinched a stunning victory at home to Atlético de Madrid in a pulsating UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg to reach the last four for the first time in 11 years.

Match in brief: Dortmund edge end-to-end classic

Julian Brandt opens the scoring on the nightAFP via Getty Images

Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Madrid, Dortmund started on the front foot and were denied an early opener by César Azpilicueta's magnificent close-range block from Marcel Sabitzer. Álvaro Morata almost silenced the home supporters moments later, racing clear before sending a dinked effort narrowly off target.

Although Edin Terzić's side continued to enjoy the majority of possession as the first half wore on, Jan Oblak was largely untroubled until Julian Brandt broke the deadlock just after the half-hour. Mats Hummels steered a magnificent pass into the path of the 27-year-old, who skipped past Axel Witsel before squeezing a low left-footed drive beyond the Atleti goalkeeper, who managed to get a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.

It was 2-0 – and 3-2 on aggregate – just five minutes later. Taking Sabitzer's clever lay-off in his stride, Ian Maatsen surged into the penalty area and drilled low into the bottom corner from a tight angle, putting Dortmund ahead in the tie for the first time.

Atleti failed to defend their aggregate advantage in DortmundGetty Images

Diego Simeone responded to his team's first-half showing with a triple substitution, and did not have to wait long for his changes to pay off – albeit with a slice of good fortune. Mario Hermoso met Antoine Griezmann's outswinging corner with a powerful header, which struck the outstretched leg of Hummels on its way into the net.

Buoyed by their fine start to the second half, the visitors continued to commit bodies forward and almost restored parity on the night through half-time substitute Ángel Correa, who steered his shot wide after racing onto Koke's pass. Correa's aim was more accurate moments later, lashing in a loose ball after Gregor Kobel had kept out Rodrigo Riquelme's stinging drive.

Spurred on by their vociferous supporters, Dortmund managed to level the tie once more just seven minutes later. Brandt's pass down the flank picked out Sabitzer, whose pinpoint delivery to the near post was met by Niclas Füllkrug's deft header, which flew into the net via the upright.

Three minutes later Sabitzer had the final say in an extraordinary contest, the Austrian midfielder sending the home fans into raptures with a low effort into the far corner after Füllkrug's shot had been blocked by José María Giménez.

PlayStation® Player of the Match: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund)

"Good goal, tireless running and great work rate, making runs off Füllkrug but also very influential in the build-up, finding space in between the lines."
UEFA Technical Observer Panel

Matthias Rötters, Dortmund reporter

Dortmund remains a prime destination for entertainment. Borussia's fast, attacking football laid the foundation for yet another unforgettable European night for Terzić's men, who could have three more to look forward to before the end of the season. Anything is possible!

Alexandra Jonson, Atlético reporter

Simeone's half-time substitutions paid off as Atlético turned the tie around, but when Dortmund hit back with two quickfire goals, Atleti just couldn't mount another comeback. Their incredible home form has taken them far, but their showings on the road have ultimately prevented them from reaching the last four as their wait to return to the semi-finals of this competition stretches to seven years.

Reaction 

Diego Simeone's side last reached the semi-finals in 2017AFP via Getty Images

Julian Brandt, Dortmund midfielder and Player of the Match: "It was a crazy game for the fans and for us. I'm delighted with the award, but for me, Marcel Sabitzer was our most important man today. It's going to be very serious now against Paris. We played well against them at home in the group stage, but not well away. We want to do better now and, of course, reach the final."

Niclas Füllkrug, Dortmund forward: "Nobody missed a metre here today. We were extremely hard-working and it was really, really fun to play here. I've never played at this level before and I'm very proud to be in the semi-finals of the Champions League with my team. Things will certainly be different against Paris than in the group stage."

Edin Terzić, Dortmund coach: "I'm extremely happy, extremely proud. The atmosphere today was extremely good. We had two moments that could have set us back, but we were strong and deserved to progress in the end. I'm proud to say that we deserved to progress against a team like Atlético Madrid."

Diego Simeone, Atlético de Madrid coach: "The team tried until the end to win a game that at all times was the opposite of what we wanted. Dortmund reacted well to us making it 2-2 and won the game precisely because they were more forceful in the area."

Koke, Atlético de Madrid midfielder: "Obviously it's a blow because we have made an enormous effort in the entire tie. We have put in a great Champions League campaign, but this hurts. We are angry because we wanted to get through. This is football and it can be cruel. We have to lift our heads and, above all, thank our fans who have travelled with us."

Key stats

• Brandt's first-half strike was his first in the Champions League knockout stages.
• Dortmund have lost only three of their 19 home matches against Spanish visitors (W9 D7), and only one of the last 11 (W6 D4).
• Borussia are now unbeaten in their last ten Champions League matches at home (W6 D4).
• This was the first time Dortmund have scored four goals in a Champions League match at home since a 4-0 win vs Atlético in the 2018/19 group stage.
• Atleti have now gone 11 matches in all competitions without a clean sheet.
• The Spanish side have lost eight of their last nine UEFA competition matches away from home against German clubs (W1).

Fantasy star performers

Marcel Sabitzer: 14 points
Julian Brandt: 11 points
Ian Maatsen: 8 points

Line-ups

Dortmund: Kobel; Ryerson, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen; Sabitzer, Emre Can; Adeyemi (Bynoe-Gittens 66), Brandt (Reus 90), Sancho (Salih Özcan 86); Füllkrug

Atlético: Oblak; Molina (Barrios 46), Witsel, Giménez, Hermoso, Azpilicueta (Riquelme 46); Marcos Llorente, Koke, De Paul (Saúl Ñíguez 84); Morata (Correa 46), Griezmann