Aubameyang hat-trick leads Dortmund into last eight
Den iz Aytekin.
“In the secondhalf it changed. The (Messi) penalty got them off to a great start, but I was already calmer because I could see the team was responding better, were better positioned on the pitch and could do damage,” said the DORTMUND, Germany: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund crushed Benfica 4-0 on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate. The Gabon international, who endured a dreadful evening in the 1-0 first leg loss in which he missed a hatful of chances and had a penalty saved, was back at his lethal best. He struck either side of a Christian Pulisic goal and added another late in the game as the German side, European champions in 1997, made the last eight of the competition for the third time in 10 years. It was the third straight match in which Aubameyang scored at least twice as Benfica, aiming to reach the last eight for third time in six seasons, conceded their first goals from open play in more than 700 minutes and ended their seven- game winning run.
The hosts, missing injured Mario Goetze and Marco Reus, took only four minutes to bring the tie level with the Bundesliga’s leading scorer heading in at the far post after Ousmane Dembele floated in a corner.
Benfica needed time to recover and free themselves from the hosts’ constant pressing game.
They made their first serious foray into the German half after half an hour with Luisao seeing his header saved by keeper Roman Buerki.
The 27-year-old Aubameyang was twice denied by keeper Ederson early in the second half but the Brazilian could do nothing when American teenager Pulisic, replacing injured Marco Reus, dinked the ball over the keeper on the hour for his maiden Champions League goal.
Aubameyang grabbed his second of the evening and a club record 24th goal in the competition this season only three minutes later and completed a hat-trick from close range in the 85th to kill off the tie. — Reuters