German masterclass
Dortmund sink Atletico to reach Champions League semifinals
BORUSSIA DORTMUND fought back to beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in their quarterfinal second leg yesterday, securing a 5-4 aggregate victory and a first Champions League semifinal since 2013. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, goals from Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen had Dortmund 2-0 up at halftime.
Maatsen, 22, signed a contract extension with parent club Chelsea in January before joining Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.
The Dutchman had been playing Championship football this time last year while on loan at Burnley.
“I always had the belief to play for Chelsea but unfortunately for some reasons it didn’t work out,” he said.
“But, now I am here, I am very grateful for this opportunity. I came here to experience at the highest level and play my game and today I think I showed a very good performance.”
Visiting coach Diego Simeone made three changes at the break, including bringing on Angel Correa and his energy told immediately, Mats Hummels conceding a poor own goal before the Argentine netted to put Atletico back ahead in the tie.
But those goals brought a sluggish Dortmund back to life, with Niclas Fuellkrug and Marcel Sabitzer each scoring in a three-minute period to send the Bundesliga club through.
“It was magical. I try not to go overboard in interviews, but it was really magical. The stadium was on fire today,” Fuellkrug told DAZN.
Former winners Dortmund, fifth in the German top flight and struggling to qualify for next
STRIKER Niclas Fullkrug yesterday backed Borussia Dortmund for a return to Wembley, 11 years after the club last reached the Champions League final at the same stadium.
Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in the second leg of their quarterfinal, coming from behind twice in the tie to progress 5-4 on aggregate to the last four, where they will face Paris SaintGermain.
Fullkrug’s brilliant second-half header brought Dortmund level in the tie, just three minutes before Marcel Sabitzer scored the hosts’ decisive fourth goal.
Describing the night as “magical”, Fuellkrug savoured moving into the semifinals, but said Dortmund were not finished.
“We’ve got one goal: Wembley.” Fuellkrug was playing seconddivision football with Werder Bremen two seasons ago and made the move to Dortmund this past August.
“We’re playing in a Champions League semifinal. For someone like me I season’s Champions League, will next face Paris Saint-Germain for a place in the final at Wembley on June 1.
“We did give them chances and goals in the 15 minutes after half-time, we have to improve that for sure, but our response to it was sensational,” said Brandt.
“It’s a big deal for our club,” Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said before thanking the fans and looking ahead to the upcoming clash with PSG.
“Extremely happy, extremely satisfied and very, very proud of the team and the club. The atmosphere in the stadium was extraordinarily good.
“There were again two moments that hurt us and could’ve tipped the balance, but we never lost our belief and stuck with what makes us strong.
“If you watch both matches, we deservedly reached the semifinals. It’s a big deal for our club.” Looking ahead to the semifinals against French giants PSG, Terzic said: “We’ve already played them twice. We didn’t like the first game in
Paris at all. think it’s a little more special, there’s a few others here who experienced that before.”
Under coach Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund made it to the final in 2013, where they lost to rivals Bayern Munich 2-1.
Defender Mats Hummels and Marco Reus are the two remaining Dortmund players from that match, while defender Niklas Suele won the Champions League with Bayern in 2020.
“The atmosphere, the energy on the field, was extreme. We knew from the first minute that nobody was going to give an inch,” said Fuellkrug.
“We were crazy aggressive. That’s something we need to take with us for the coming weeks.”
Dortmund played PSG in the group stage, losing 2-0 in Paris before drawing 1-1 at home to top the section.
“We played well at home against them but not away. We want to do better – and of course reach the final,” said midfielder Julian Brandt, who opened the scoring yesterday. – AFP
“The second match in Dortmund was very different, close once again, but we managed to get closer to victory than they did.
“We’re a much more solid team than we were in September or even December.”
Atletico were bidding to reach the last four for the first time in seven years, but fell at the quarterfinal stage for the third time in five seasons.
“It was tough,” Atletico captain Koke told Movistar. “Their goals hurt a lot – the fact that they got them so quickly after each other.
“We are angry because we wanted to get through. This is football and it can be cruel.” – AFP/Agencies
‘We’ve got one goal: Wembley’