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Atletico Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home in the Champions League quarterfinals.
Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul pounced on Ian Maatsen’s loose pass to give Atletico Madrid an early lead at the Civitas Metropolitano.
The hosts doubled their lead in the 32nd minute thanks to another defensive error by Samuel Lino.
Diego Simeone’s side appeared to be cruising to victory until Sebastien Haller came off the bench to fire in at the near post to give Dortmund a much-needed foothold.
The German team went agonizingly close to producing a late leveler, hitting the woodwork on two occasions to leave them with a deficit to recover in the second leg.
The loud atmosphere at the Metropolitano appeared to have an ill effect on the nervous-looking visitors, with an early error giving the hosts a crucial lead.
After being pressured by Gregor Kobel’s throw, Maatsen’s risky ball was intercepted by De Paul, who finished neatly with the outside of his right foot.
Former Dortmund player Axel Witsel then forced an excellent reaction save from Kobel with a headed shot that would have been ruled out for offside.
As the game approached the half-hour mark, Felix Nmecha provided Dortmund’s first significant threat, shooting over the bar after rising high to meet a corner.
Lino scored his sixth goal of the season just moments later, capitalizing on a mistake between Nico Schlotterbeck and Mats Hummels.
Alvaro Morata pounced on a loose ball and found Antoine Griezmann, who quickly set up Lino, who controlled it with his first touch and calmly put it home with his second.
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund | UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal | Leg 1 of 2 | Matchday 2
Dortmund sought to cut the gap before halftime, with Karim Adeyemi’s shot deflecting over the bar, before Jan Oblak got down brilliantly to save Maatsen’s drove blast.
Despite the visitors’ promising start to the second half, Atletico wing-back Nahuel Molina attempted to add a third goal when he cut inside and caused Kobel to make a great near-post stop.
With with 15 minutes left, the Dortmund goalkeeper made a fantastic reaction stop to keep Lino from tapping home from a few yards away.
After nearly conceding a third, the visitors halved the deficit thanks to Haller’s first Champions League goal of the season.
Molina’s unsuccessful interception gave Haller the opportunity to spin and shoot a low shot into the bottom corner, changing the complexion of the draw.
Dortmund had momentum on their side and came close to equalizing late on, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens deflecting a shot off the crossbar.
Julian Brandt then blasted his header crashing into the goal frame in the final stages of a thrilling first leg.
With the tie in the balance, the two teams will return to league business before meeting again at Signal Iduna Park next Tuesday.
