Borussia Dortmund roared into the Champions League semifinals with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid at home on Tuesday, overturning a 2-1 deficit from the first leg to win the tie 5-4 on aggregate.
The German team found the net twice in the opening half, appearing to ease into the last four. However, Atletico mounted a spirited comeback with two quick goals early in the second half, putting Dortmund on the back foot. Nevertheless, Dortmund rallied courageously to complete an impressive turnaround.
Dortmund will now face Paris St Germain in the semifinals. PSG, who staged a remarkable comeback from being 4-2 down to defeat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate, will vie for a spot in the final on June 1 at London's Wembley Stadium.
"We played an incredibly good first half, then there was the extremely unfortunate goal conceded, (but) how we came back, wow," exclaimed Dortmund coach Edin Terzic in a TV interview.
The match began with great intensity, with midfielder Marcel Sabitzer coming close to giving the home side an early lead in the third minute, only to be denied by a last-ditch block from Cesar Azpilicueta. Dortmund drew level on aggregate in the 34th minute through Julian Brandt, who capitalized on a brilliant pass from Mats Hummels before firing home. Just five minutes later, Dortmund surged ahead in the quarterfinal tie as Ian Maatsen cut inside from the left flank and slotted a perfectly-placed shot into the bottom corner of the far post.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone implemented a triple substitution at halftime, which quickly paid off. Dortmund defender Hummels inadvertently scored an own goal in the 49th minute, followed by substitute Angel Correa restoring the Spaniards' lead in the tie with a goal in the 64th minute.
Nevertheless, the home team responded strongly, with striker Niclas Fuellkrug equalizing the aggregate score to 4-4 with a superb glancing header from Sabitzer's cross in the 74th minute.
Hardly had the home fans settled back into their seats after that goal when Sabitzer found himself on the edge of the box. With an excellent first touch, he steadied himself before driving home the winning goal three minutes later, sending the ecstatic crowd into a frenzy.
"It was an incredible game for everyone in the stadium. We had a fantastic first half, took us a bit to get into the rhythm in the second half, but the response to Atletico's goals was sensational," remarked goal-scorer Brandt.