In the early morning of April 17, Beijing time, in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Dortmund played against Atletico Madrid at home, Brandt and Maatsen hit two goals in 5 minutes in the first half, Phil Krueger and Sabitzer scored two goals in 3 minutes in the second half, Dortmund won a heart-wrenching 4-2 at the Signal Park Stadium in Iduna, eliminated La Liga giants Atletico Madrid with an aggregate score of 5-4, and reached the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2013.
Borussia Dortmund suffered two straight defeats at Atletico Madrid last week before beating Borussia Mönchenchen 2-1 in the Bundesliga, turning things around and building confidence in this Champions League match. The team currently sit fifth behind RB Leipzig on 56 points in the Bundesliga on goal difference, and the race for a ticket to next season's Champions League has also taken their toll on them, which has been a major factor in the recent fluctuations in performance.
Atletico are in a better position, winning their last three games, including a home win over Borussia Dortmund in midweek and a win over third-placed Girona in La Liga last weekend. Despite playing on two fronts like Borussia Dortmund, they sit fourth in La Liga, four points ahead of fifth-placed Bilbao and have no big problems securing a Champions League place next season.
Borussia Dortmund's starting formation changed from 4231 in the first leg to 4141 in this game, moving Sabitzer forward and putting more troops up front to reverse the 1-2 deficit in the first leg. Phil Krueger played up the striker, Brand and Sabitzer in midfield, Emre in the back, Jadon Sancho and Adeyemi on the wings, Maatsen, Schlotterbeck, Hummels and Ryerson at the back, and Kerber in goal.
Atletico continued to use a 352 formation, with only one change in the starting line-up compared to the first leg, with defender Hermoso replacing Lino. The forward line is still the configuration of Morata and Griezmann, the midfield trio is Llorente, Koke and De Paul, the left and right wing-backs are Azpilicueta and Molina respectively, Hermoso, Jimenez and Witsel are central defenders, and Oblak is the goalkeeper.
Borussia Dortmund, who lost the first leg, knew that against Atletico Madrid, who are known for their iron-blooded defense, only a quick start could turn the deficit around. Just three minutes into the game, Adeyemi's sharp cross from the left was met by Sabitzer in front of goal, but Azpilicueta's sliding tackle at a crucial moment prevented Dort from opening the scoring early.
In the 34th minute, Hummels penetrated the Atletico defense with a delicate outside instep cross, and Brandt got rid of the defense and volleyed into the net from a tight angle after receiving the ball, and the aggregate score was also 2-2. Just five minutes later, Dort's wide attack showed its strength again when Maatsen inserted a low shot into the far corner from the left side of the box to give Dort a 2-0 lead and an aggregate lead. At the end of the first half, Dort scored two goals in a short period of time with an efficient counter-attack, leaving Atletico on the back foot.
Atletico were in desperate need of a goal in the second half to turn the game around, and they stepped up their pressing efforts in front. In the 49th minute, Antoine Griezmann took a corner kick, Hermoso headed it in, and Hummels cleared it with an own goal, and Atletico Madrid took advantage of this surprise to level the aggregate score to 3-3. However, Dort quickly steadied himself and continued to follow through on the established tactics.
In the 64th minute, Atletico Madrid once saw hope, Correa broke through and crossed to the left, Riquelme's follow-up shot was saved by Kerber, Correa reacted quickly and scored in front of the goal, and Atletico Madrid temporarily led 4-3 on aggregate. However, this did not become a prelude to Atletico's comeback, but instead inspired Dortmund to fight back more violently.
In the 71st minute, Brandt made a precise straight stop, Sabitzer crossed diagonally, and Phil Krueger broke the net like an aerial hegemon's head, and Dort's total score was tied at 4-4. Just three minutes later, Emre Can sent long-distance precision guidance in the midfield, Phil Kruger cleverly knocked back in the chaos, Sabitzer cleverly caught the fighter's volley and hung into the corner, Dort led 4-2, and the overall score was 5-4 to complete the reversal, and re-advanced to the Champions League semi-finals after 11 years.