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After the events of the past week, Borussia Dortmund had one chance to redeem themselves in European football after losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in Spain. The second leg was played in the much feared Signal Iduna Park.
It is said that visiting team feel the aura there. So thick is the aura that chills are sent down the back. The home-field advantage was seen evidently as Dortmund were menacingly running down the wings and testing Atletico Keeper, Jan Oblak time and time again. Julian Brandt managed to break the deadlock after 34 minutes by scoring from a tight angle nesting the ball in the bottom right corner.
The atmosphere erupted. They had caught up with Atletico. 2-2 the score on aggregate. 1-0 in general. Five minutes later, Ian Mattsen managed to push Dortmund further ahead from the same technique that Brandt used. They were ahead. A flurry of chants was heard from the fans as they were ecstatic. After the break, complacency set in and Matt Hummels landed the ball into his own net following a sloppy deflection from a cross. The aggregate now 3-3. Now it was all or nothing.
The seeming stand-off was broken by Angel Correa who deftly executed into the bottom left corner. The Dortmund players crumbled. All their efforts were now going down the drain. What was odd was that the roar of The Signal Iduna Park was getting louder and louder. These Patriotic individuals picked their fellows up and gave them their fighting spirit. What proceeded happened in the blink of an eye. Marcel Sabitzer delivered an inviting cross to the box which was brilliantly directed across goal by Niklas Fulkrug.
Level once more on aggregate in the 71st minute. With all the momentum behind them they managed to capitalize three minutes later. Marcel Sabitzer restored their once thought lost lead by releasing a furious low drive from outside the 18yard box. Surely this finished the visitors. The hosts now had their tails up in jubilation.
They had scaled the boulder. Atletico’s European hopes cut short. In one night, two Spanish teams sent home with Barcelona also being knocked out by Paris Saint German.
