Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 with Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday night at Signal Iduna Park and failed to take a first-leg lead in their round of 16 clash against the Ligue 1 side.
Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring for Dortmund after less than a quarter of the game had passed with a wonderfully controlled strike from the edge of the box, keeping his effort low as he beat goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who will question why his defence cleared the ball so poorly from their hosts’ corner.
BVB thought they had doubled their lead in the closing stages of the first half through Pascal Gross, but replays showed he was in an offside position when he poked home following another corner.
The hosts sat back in the second half and were made to pay for the passivity by Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, who collected the ball following a reverse pass Jonathan David before finishing into the bottom-right corner.
Lille managed to earn a deserved draw thanks to their strong second-half performance, and the tie will ultimately be decided at Stade Pierre-Mauroy next week Wednesday.
SPORTS MOLE’S VERDICT
© Imago
Dortmund’s domestic season has been nothing short of a disaster, with former head coach Nuri Sahin dismissed for his side’s poor performances, but the Champions League could offer salvation for current boss Niko Kovac.
After agonisingly losing the final of Europe’s Premier competition 2-0 in June 2024 against Real Madrid, BVB will want to avoid an embarrassing early exit from the tournament in 2025.
As for Lille, they will be delighted with the result given the second leg will be played in France, and they will be confident that their home crowd can buoy them to victory.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND VS. LILLE HIGHLIGHTS
Karim Adeyemi goal vs. Lille (22nd min, Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Lille)
WHAT A STRIKE 😮
Karim Adeyemi unleashes a rocket from outside the box to open the scoring for Dortmund 🚀
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Dortmund swing a corner in from the right and Lille clear the ball to the edge of their box, but Karim Adeyemi steps onto the ball just after it bounces and strikes low into the bottom-left corner.
What a strike!
45+2nd min: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Lille (Pascal Gross)
© Imago
BVB whip in another corner from the right and Emre Can rises to win first contact, but while Pascal Gross sticks his foot out to finish from close range, he is just ahead of the last defender and the goal is ruled out.
Dortmund are threatening from set-piece deliveries!
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson goal vs. Borussia Dortmund (68th min, Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Lille)
The pass from David, the finish from Haraldsson 🤌
Lille draw level in Germany ⚽️
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Lille fire a ball centrally into striker Jonathan David, who plays a reverse pass in behind for Hakon Arnar Haraldsson and the attacker takes the ball in stride before slotting past goalkeeper Gregor Kobel‘s right.
Great play from David!
© Imago
No other Dortmund player attempted as many passes (81) as Nico Schlotterbeck, and his progressive passing helped bring his side up the pitch, with his tally of 14 passes into the final third the most by anybody on the pitch.
The centre-back also made six recoveries and four clearances, and he will no doubt be frustrated that his team failed to keep a clean sheet despite his excellent display.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND VS. LILLE MATCH STATS
Possession: Borussia Dortmund 43%-57% Lille
Shots: Borussia Dortmund 7-9 Lille
Shots on target: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Lille
Corners: Borussia Dortmund 5-1 Lille
Fouls: Borussia Dortmund 14-6 Lille
BEST STATS
FT: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Lille
All square in the first leg. #UCL pic.twitter.com/oG73I696Ra
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WHAT NEXT?
Borussia Dortmund return to Bundesliga action against Augsburg on Saturday before playing the away leg against Lille next week on March 12.
The French side will host Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Saturday and will face Nantes on March 15 following their second-leg clash against Dortmund next week.
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