Marcel Sabitzer turned hero for Dortmund as they beat Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
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Sabitzer provided two assists and scored a goalDortmund reach Champions League finalMidfielder missed an easy chance earlier in the matchGetty ImagesTELL ME MORE
Diego Simeone took a defensive approach, as expected, as Atletico looked to hold onto their lead from the first leg right from the word go. Former Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer found himself in a scoring position in the third minute of the game when he received a pass from Karim Adeyemi on the edge of the six-yard box. The Austrian took a first touch to compose himself but by the time he could take a shot, Cesar Azpilicueta made a crucial interception.
Just two minutes later, Alvaro Morata had arguably the best chance of the match to increase his team's lead as he found himself one-on-one with Gregor Kobel but failed to keep his attempt on target from a handshaking distance.
The hosts eventually broke the deadlock and restored parity on aggregate in the 34th minute when Mat Hummels sent a brilliant long ball from outside his boot towards Julian Brandt. The winger took a first touch before finding the back of the net. Five minutes later, Ian Maatsen made amends for his mistake from the first leg as he doubled his team's lead from Marcel Sabitzer's assist.
The Spanish side made a strong comeback in the second half as they pulled one back through Hummels' own goal. The veteran defender tried to block Mario Hermoso's header from a corner but the ball got deflected off his foot and entered the Dortmund goal.
Angel Correa then momentarily put his side in front on aggregate after scoring a second goal from a fantastic Atletico move but Sabitzer's brilliance in the final 20 minutes helped the Germans clinch the tie.
The former Bayern star provided an inch-perfect cross for Niclas Fullkrug's equaliser before finding the back of the net with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to redeem himself for his earlier mistake.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE MVP
Sabitzer was the standout performer for the hosts by providing two assists and scoring the all-important goal towards the end which settled the tie in Dortmund's favour. The midfielder had a daunting presence across the pitch throughout the 90 minutes.
Getty ImagesTHE BIG LOSER
The Atletico defence completely crumbled in the final 20 minutes of the game as they were caught off guard during BVB's last two goals as Fullkrug and Sabitzer sealed the fate of the tie. For a team famed for their solidity down the years, it was nowhere near good enough.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
BVB will be next seen in action on Sunday in the Bundesliga as they take on newly crowned German champions Bayer Leverkusen. On the same day, Simeone's side will face Alaves in La Liga.