After Dortmund defeated Atletico Madrid to go to the Champions League semifinals, Marcel Sabitzer emerged as the team’s hero.
As was to be expected, Diego Simeone adopted a defensive stance as Atletico attempted to maintain their lead from the beginning of the beginning of the first leg. In the third minute of play, Marcel Sabitzer, a former Manchester United midfielder, was put in position to score after receiving a pass from Karim Adeyemi on the edge of the six-yard box. The Austrian took a moment to gather himself before attempting a shot, but Cesar Azpilicueta made a vital interception in the interim.
Alvaro Morata had perhaps the finest opportunity of the game to extend his team’s lead two minutes later when he found himself one-on-one with Gregor Kobel but failed to keep his attempt on target from a handshaking distance.
As Mat Hummels hit a brilliant long ball to Julian Brandt from outside his boot in the 34th minute, the hosts finally broke the deadlockb and equalized the score on aggregate. Before finding the back of the net, the winger attempted a first touch. After Marcel Sabitzer’s assist, Ian Maatsen extended his team’s lead five minutes later, making up for his error from the first leg.
With a goal from Hummels, the Spanish team pulled one back in the second half, mounting a formidable comeback. The ball bounced off the veteran defender’s foot and into the Dortmund goal as he attempted to block Mario Hermoso’s header from a corner.
After that, Angel Correa scored to briefly put his team ahead on aggregate 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 player atoned for his earlier error by hitting the back of the net with a powerful effort from the edge of the box after setting up Niclas Fullkrug’s equalizer with an almost flawless cross.
With two assists and the crucial goal near the end to put Dortmund ahead in the tie, Sabitzer was the star performance for the home team. Over the entire ninety minutes, the middle player commanded respect from all corners of the field.
The last 20 minutes of the match saw the full collapse of the Atletico defense, as they were caught off guard by BVB’s final two goals, which were scored by Fullkrug and Sabitzer to seal the draw. It was far from good for a club known for its consistency throughout the years.
The Bundesliga match between BVB and Bayer Leverkusen, the recently crowned German champions, is scheduled for this Sunday. Simeone’s team will play Alaves in La Liga that same day.#
(Goal)
